UC-NRLF 


$B    710    b72 


(T^ 


V» 


a< 


a  K/l  k  T?  1 


V  i  V  J  i 


T-^   t<) 


^Xr  wfiS^ 


^ 


ViBRARy 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


Life  in  tlie  Wilds  of  America, 

AND 

Wonders  OF  THE  West 


IN  AND  BEYOND 


THE  BOUNDS  OF  CIVILIZATION.' 


)   ILLUSTRATED.    < 


To  the  West,  to  the  West,  to  the  land  of  the  free, 
Where  the  mighty  Missouri  rolls  down  to  the  sea,— 
Where  a  man  is  a  man  if  he's  willing  to  toU, 
And  the  humblest  may  gather  the  fruits  of  the^8oil.| 


BY  I.  AV^INSLOW^    AYER,  A.  M.,M.  D. 


PUBLISHED   BY 

THE     CENTRAL     PUBLISHING     COMPANY, 

GBAND   KAPIDS,  MICHIGAN, 

1880- 


PRESERVAT!?^?-! 
COPY  ADDED 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1880,  by  I.  Winslow  Ayer,  in  the 
oflSce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Printed  by  W.  C.  Dennis,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 
Bound  by  J.  Chilver  &  Co.,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 


F- 


A    '  -^  3 


PJIPFAGF. 


fITH  the  map  of  our  country  spread  out 
before  us,  with  all  the  minutiae  of  the  best 
geographers,  with  the  intricate  tracery  of 
net-work,  marking  the  Hnes  of  railway  that 
i  X  radiate  from  large  cities  and  extend  to  others 
that  have  attained  rank  and  celebrity — to  villages 
that  are  destined  to  become  great  cities  in  the 
promising  future,  it  seems  easy  enough  to  explore 
the  extensive  area  of  millions  of  acres  we  proudly 
call  our  own;  but  with  all  the  facilities  of  travel, 
and  the  many  tempting  inducements  to  avail  our- 
selves of  them,  there  are  but  few  comparatively, 
who  acquire  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  country 
by  personal  exploration. 

We  visit  the  Old  World,  climb  the  Alps  and  the 
Pyrenees,  dehght  in  the  rose-gardens  of  France, 
dream  under  the  soft  skies  of  Italy,  wander  in 
orange-groves  and  amid  the  clustering  vines  of 
Mediterranean  Isles,  discourse  of  charming  Lake 
Como,  of  the  beauty  of  the  Ehine  and  of  other 
natural  features  of  the  continent  from  the  Irish 
Channel  to  the  Bay  of  Naples,  enraptured  with 
views  that  become  heart  pictures,  to  which  memory 
oft  fondly  turns  to  gaze  upon,  with  ever  fresh  de- 
hght, and  we  return  to  the  land  of  our  birth  the 


m^72±7 


6  PEEFACE. 

wiser  for  the  tour;  but  strange  enough,  we  live  the 
years  of  our  allotment,  acquiring  less  practical 
knowledge  of  our  native  land,  than  that  attained  by 
sight-seeing  Europeans  who  visit  our  shores. 

America  has  every  variety  of  scenery,  even  the 
most  picturesque  and  gorgeous — the  verdure  and 
bloom  and  fruits  of  luxuriant  Nature  in  her  holiday 
attire ;  her  towering  mountains,  with  their  snowy 
crests  above  the  fleecy  clouds,  and  base  adorned 
with  flowers ;  her  beautiful  rivers,  from  silver  cords 
winding  among  the  wood-crowned  hills,  to  mighty 
waters  rising  in  the  far  away  north,  and  flowing 
swiftly  onward  to  the  southern  gulf ;  her  vast  lakes 
with  countless  laden  barks  whose  snowy  sails  are 
gladdened  by  the  breeze,  or  fast  plying  steamers 
bearing  the  commerce  of  the  country  and  the  world; 
her  billowy  prairies  extending  from  horizon  to  hori- 
zon, of  rank  luxuriant  verdure  and  beauteous 
flowers;  her  golden  wheat-fields,  whose  area  is 
bounded  by  the  scope  of  vision ;  her  majestic  forests, 
whose  giant  arms  have  welcomed  and  waved  adieus 
to  passing  centuries ;  her  silvery  cascades,  that  leap 
from  dizzy  heights  and  send  back  their  rainbow 
tints  to  heaven;  her  labyrinthine  caverns,  those 
mysteries  of  nature  unexplored  by  man;  ravines 
and  canons  with  frowning  rocks  thousands  of  feet 
above  on  either  side ;  precipitous,  jutting  chfls  upon 
whose  shelving  edge  the  mountain  goat  seeks  safety 
from  pursuit,  and  the  eagle  rests  from  weary  flight, 
primeval  and  stupendous  work  of  Nature,  fit  court 
and  workshop  of  the  gods;  America's  vale  of  Cash- 
mere, where  flows  the  Yellowstone ;  geysers,  crys- 
tal lakelets  and  orange  groves ;  mystic  mounds  and 


PEEFACE.  7 

rock  houses  of  a  race  whose  very  name  can  only  be 
conjectured — the  ever  varied  scenery  so  grand,  so 
beautiful,  all  invite  the  student  of  nature. 

Glancing  again  for  the  hundredth  time,  perhaps, 
at  the  pencilings  made  while  visiting  the  regions  o 
the  ''Far  West" — regions  of  mystery,  but  which 
the  enterprise  of  my  countrymen  is  fast  bringing 
into  direct  relations  with  our  homes — far  off  lands 
from  which  letters  come,  and  to  which  letters  go, 
lands  over  which  the  glorious  old  flag  proudly  waves, 
I  find  many  facts  and  thoughts  suggested  by  them 
which  may  interest  many  readers,  and  avoiding  the 
details  of  a  continuous  tour  which  might  weary  the 
general  reader,  I  present  scenes  and  records  of 
events  which  it  is  hoped  will  afford  entertainment 
and  information,  and  so  repay  the  perusal. 

The  many  and  wonderful  changes,  incident  to 
progress,  which  have  occurred  within  the  last  de- 
cade in  the  States  and  Territories  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, the  many  cities,  towns  and  villages,  which 
have  risen  from  mountain  and  plain,  by  sea-side 
and  river,  the  public  enterprises  affecting  the  wel- 
fare of  men,  which  have  been  inaugurated  in  these 
growing  and  prosperous  communities,  the  brilliant 
achievements  of  genius,  skill,  perseverance  and  jin- 
dustry,  that  have  gone  forth  to  benefit  humanity, 
are  all  eras  of  history,  to  which  Americans  turn 
with  eminent  satisfaction  and  warrantable  pride. 

The  publications,  concerning  the  great  West, 
written  but  a  few  years  ago,  are  now  only  valuable 
and  interesting  as  records  of  the  past ;  they  utterly 
fail  to  impart  information  desired  concerning  the 
present  condition  of  the  country,  however  rehable 


8  PEEFACE. 

the  records,  however  exhaustive  in  detail,  however 
observing  the  tourist,  and  however  just  the  judg- 
ments expressed ;  these  records  were  of  communi- 
ties and  regions,  of  governments,  of  enterprises 
accompHshed  and  in  contemplation  then,  but  are  in 
no  sense  mirrors  of  the  present  time.  In  relation 
to  very  many  subjects  and  truths  of  vital  interest 
and  importance  to  the  people,  they  are  necessarily 
silent,  for  the  knowledge  was  then  veiled  in  the  un- 
known future.  In  the  preparation  of  this  work,  I 
have  aimed  to  present  facts  only,  and  to  speak  of 
conditions  existing  to-day, — in  fine  to  dehneate 
scenes  witnessed,  and  report  the  varied  information 
attained  in  an  extended  tour  of  observation. 

For  many  interesting  facts  and  much  valuable 
information  contained  in  this  work,  I  am  indebted 
to  the  courtesy  of  Prof.  Joseph  L.  Barfoot,  curator 
of  the  Museum,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah;  to  J.  S.  Hay, 
Esq.,  Editor  of  the  Avalanche,  Silver  City,  Idaho, 
and  to  the  Editor  of  the  Herald,  Helena,  Montana. 

Permit  me  to  hope  that  the  present  work  wiU 
meet  and  merit  the  welcome  of  the  thousands  who 
have  accorded  their  favor  to  my  earher  publications, 
and  that  it  may  win  the  approval  of  the  general 
public. 

THE  AUTHOE. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  I. 
An   Emigrant   Train   Westward  Bound — Historic  Ground — An 
Old  Fortress  on  the  Lake  Shore — Reminiscences — A  Bird's- 
Eye  View  of  Cleveland. Page,  13. 

CHAPTER  n. 
The  Mounds  of  Ohio  and  the  Mound  Builders — Excavations  and 
Interesting  Discoveries — The  Primitive  Settlement  of  America 

— Washington's  Island — Views  of  Pittsburg Page,  28^ 

CHAPTER  HI. 
Navigation  of  the  Upper  Ohio — Scenery — Blennerhassett  Island 
— The  Character  of  Aaron  Burr — Arrival  at  Cincinnati — The 
City  as  it  was  and  as  it  is- -The  Great  Southern  Railroad .  Page,  44. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Trip  Down  the  River — Burial  Place  of  President  Harrison — 
The  Wonders  of  Mammoth  Cave •  Page,  58. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Natural  Scenery  in  Kentucky — The  Capital  of  the  State — Old 
Home  and  Memories  of  Heniy  Clay — Indianapolis — The  Battle 
Ground  of  Tippecanoe — Fort  Wayne — An  Indian's  Savings 
Bank — First  View  of  the  Westei-n  Prairies — Peoria — Galena — 
Life  Under  Ground Page,  91, 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Dubuque  and  its  Surroundings — Alarm  of  Fire — Mike  Carrigan, 
the  Man  for  an  Emergency — Davenport — Its  Early  History — 
Burlington — Keokuk — Quincy — Moonlight  on  the  River — Arri- 
val at  St.  Louis Page,  108. 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

Members  of  the  Party — Departure  for  the  West — Scenery  Along 
the  River — A  ThrHling  Night  Adventure — A  Ride  for  Life — 
Furious  Men  and  Ferocious  Beasts — Off  for  thePlains.Page,  120.. 
CHAPTER  VHI. 

Beautiful  Kansas — Topography  of  the  State — Vast  Prairies — 
Game — A  "  Great  American  Desert" — The  Lost  Race  of  Men 
— Wonderful  Discoveries — Topeka — Lawrence — A  Himting 
Expedition — Vast  Herds  of  Buffaloes — Indians — Our  Camp, 
Etc Page,  135. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Tales  About  the  Camp  Fire — The   Sioux  Indians — A  Scrap  of 

History — A  ThriUing  Adventure Page,  152. 

CHAPTER  X. 
A  Buffalo  Hunt — A  Friend's  Picture — Discourse   About  Birds, 
Etc Page,  175. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  New  Encampment — Off  for  Colorado — ^Impressions  of  Denver 

— Topography  and  Resources  of  the  State — History — Wonderful 

Scenery — The   Garden   of    the   G-ods — Mountain    Peaks   and 

Ranges — Mount   of  the   Holy   Cross — Canons,  Cascades  and 

Parks — A  Perilous  Position Page,  192. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Rivers  of  Colorado — The  Great  Mining  Regions — Leadville — 
Cities  and  Towns  of  Special  Interest — Resources  and  Products 
of  the  State — The  Great  Colorado — Houses  of  a  Buried  Race — 

Indians Page  216. 

CHAPTER  Xin. 
Chmate  of  Colorado — Colorado  Springs — The  Chiann  Mountain 
— The   Ute   Pass — The   Elevation   of   the  Country  at  Points 

Along  the  Route Page,  231. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
A  Trip  to  Utah — Among  the  Mormons-,-Salt  Lake  City — "  The 
Dead    Sea" — Mining    Interests — The    Early    Settlements — 

Scenery  of  the  Country Page  240. 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Up  the  Missouri — Leavenworth — Other  Points  Upon  the  River — 
Scenery — The    Stock   Business   of  the   Plains — Remarkable 
Lakes — Struck  a  Snag — A  Buffalo  Hunt — Lost  on  the  Prairie 

— Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Indians Page  251. 

CHAPTER  XVL 
Nebraska — Chmate  —  Scenery — Resources — Beautiful  VaUeys — 
Over  the  Plains — An  Ocean  Drained  of  its  Waters — Old  Fort 

Kearney Page,  268. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Great  Sand-Banks — Wild  Animals— A  Bear  Hunt— The 
''Bad  Lands"  of  Dakota— The  Wonderful  VaUey— A  Night's 
Experience — The  Black  Hihs — Harney's  Peak — An  Enchanting 
View  from  the  Summit — -Bridgers,  the  Noted  Trapper — His 
Adventures — Wonderful  Cave — Diversity  of  Scenery  along  the 

River Page,  277. 

CHAPTER  XVIH. 
Dakota — The  Red  River  Country — Large  Farms — The  Dakota 
System  of  Farming — The  Lumber  Interests — Bismarck — Emi- 
gration  Page,  290. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Upper  Mississippi — Natural  Scenery  of  Minnesota — Beauti- 
ful Lakes  and  Rivers — Climate — Chief  Cities — Wisconsin — 
Features  of  the  Country — Wonderful  Earth  Mounds — A  Visit 
to  the  State  Capital  and  other  Cities — A  Scrap  of  History, 
Etc '. Page,  298. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

'The  Valley  of  the  Yellowstone — The  National  Park — Scenery  of 
Exquisite  Beauty — Yellowstone  Lake — The  Grand  Canon — 
Wonderful  Natural  Features — The  Great  Falls — The  Upper 
Falls — Firehole  River — Wonderful  Geysers — Mystic  and 
Shadow  Lakes — A  Mountain  of  Glass — Mt.  Blackmore — Route 

to  the  Park Page,  810. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Wyoming — Mountains — Rivers — Valleys — Plains — Wild  Animals 
— The  Bed  of  a  Former  Ocean — Wonderful  Natural  Curiosities 
— Antedeluvian  Animals — Gold  Discoveries — Cheyenne — Forts 
— Montana — Climate — Routes  to  Montana — Natural  Divisions 
of  the  Territory — River  Sources  in  the  Moimtains. . .  Page,  324. 
CHAPTER  XXII. 

Eastern  Montana — A  Vast  Unoccupied  Region — The  Western 
Wilds  in  Earlier  Days — Appearance  of  the  Country — Produc- 
tions— Stock  Raising — Attractions  for  the  Tourist — Hunting 
Grounds — A  Letter  by  Arapooish,  a  Crow  Chief. . .  Page,  337. 
CHAPTER  XXHI. 

rStock  Raising — Mineral  Resources  of  Montana — The  First  Min- 
ing Excitement — A  Reminiscence — Road  Agents — Famous 
Gold  and  Silver  Mines — Treasure  Repositories  of  this  Country, 

Etc Page,  849. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Fair  Margins — Up  the  Yellowstone — A  Visit  to  the  Trappers' 
Camps — An  Untrodden  Wilderness  —  Night  Visit  from  an 
American  Lion — A  Party  of  Indians — Their  Habits  and  Cus- 
toms— The  Indian's  Love  of  Country — Hunters'  Life — A 
Thrilhng  Adventure — A  Grizzly  Bear — Hostile  Indians — Warn- 
ing the  Trappers — Trapping  Expeditions,  Etc Page,  365. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Preparations  for  Trading  with  the  Trappers — Following  a  Trail — 
Indians  on  the  War-Path — Hasty  Departure — Fort  C.  F.  Smith 
— The  Mountains  of  Wyoming — An  Inaccessible  Mountain 
Range — Mountain  Sheep — Departure  of  the  Steamer — A  Trap- 
per's Statement — A  Day  of  Trouble — An  Indian  Plot — A  Little 
Act  of  Generosity  Rewarded — A  Long  Journey — Wild  Animals, 

Etc Page,  380. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Fort  Benton— Arrival  of  the  Elhot— The  Great  Falls  of  the  Mis- 


sonri — Departure  of  the  Elliot — In  the  Gold  Eegions — The 
Characters  Seen  There — Oft"  for  Idaho — The  Snake  Desert — 
The  Grandest  Cataracts  of  the  Continent — Mining  Regions. 
Etc Page,  394. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Washington  Territory — Natural  Features  and  Scenery  of  the 
Country — The  Walla  WaUa  Region — Its  Condition,  Present 
and  Prospective — The  Climate — Puget  Sound — An  Adventure, 
Etc Page,  414. 

CHAPTER  XXVIH. 
The   Columbia   River — A   Trip   to  Portland — Iron  Mines — The 
Beautiful  Valley  of  the  Willamette — The  Resources  of  the  Ter- 
ritory— The  Future  Commercial  Emporium  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
— Mountain  Scenery — Climate,  Etc Page,  425. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Off  for  California — The  Fort  Benton  Party — First  Ride  over  the 

Great  Pacific  Railroad — Wonderful   Scenery — Mountains  and 

Canons — Hot  Springs — A  Race  for  Life — Arrival  in  California 

—Carson  Valley — LakeTahoe — Mining  Interests,Etc.Page,  433. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

California — Varieties  of  Climate — Beautiful  Scenery — The  Won- 
ders of  the  Yosemite Page,  449, 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
Big   Tree  Groves — Geysers---Petrified  Forests — Sublime  Moun- 
tain Scenery — Lakes  of  Rarest  Beauty — Natural  Bridges — Cas- 
cades— Canons — Gorgeous    Flowers — Indians — Former   Races 

of  Men — Wild  Animals,  Etc Page,  462. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
Across  the  Country  to  Arizona — Natural  Features  of  the  Country 
— The  Great  Rivers — Wonderful  Canons — Ancient  Ruins — Ch- 

mate.  Etc Page,  486. 

CHAPTER  XXXin. 
Alaska— Its  Extent— Climate— Sitka— The  Yukon  River— A  "Yo- 
semite VaUey"  in  Alaska— A  Wonderful  Region. .  .  .Page,  507. 
CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
The  Great  Glaciers  of  Alaska— The  Remains  of  Extinct  Species— 
The  Glaciers  Sent  to  Market---The  Fur  Trade— The  Animals 
Hunted  by  the  Natives— The   Modes   of   Capture— Driving  a 
Flock  of  Seals,  Etc.,  Etc Page,  521. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

.A.n  Emigrant  Train  Westward  Bound — Historic  Ground — An  Old  For- 
tress on  the  Lalce  Shore — Reminiscences — A  Bird's-eye  View  of 
Cleveland. 

In  and  about  the  railway  station  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
one  bright  day  in  early  spring  in  the  year  1877,  was 
a  larger  concourse  of  travelers  than  usual,  awaiting 
the  departure  of  the  westward  train.  It  was  a  motley 
assemblage.  There  were  men  in  blouses  and  caps, 
long  blue  overcoats  faded  and  worn ;  others  in  round- 


14 

abouts,  with  guns  or  rustic  canes  in  their  hands,  or 
odd  parcels  in  their  arms,  and  long  tobacco  pipes  in 
their  mouths, — with  strong  boots  that  were  russet 
with  dust,  homespun  clothing  of  home  manufac- 
ture ;  there  were  a  few  old  men,  bending  under  the 
weight  of  years;  young  men  with  strong  arms,, 
bronzed  faces  and  hard  hands ;  old  women  in  caps 
and  good  natured  faces ;  buxom  young  women  with 
chests  large  enough  for  the  great  hearts  and  sound 
lungs  they  contained,  attired  in  plain  clothing,, 
without  ornament  or  decoration;  some  with  babes 
in  their  arms  and  others  leading  little  children  with 
faces  like  a  full  moon,  and  great  eyes  that  peered 
curiously  into  everything,  while  cramming  into  open, 
mouths,  sausage  and  pretzel;  young  maidens  with 
the  bloom  of  health,  sparkling  eyes  and  with  figures 
and  mien  telling  of  strength  and  endurance — all  of 
these  people  chattering  like  magpies,  in  the  lang- 
uage of  the  Faderland,  looking  at  the  clock  every 
few  moments,  eager  for  the  hour  of  departure. 

There  was  a  smaller  party  of  men  in  the  strength 
of  early  manhood,  with  light  hair  and  blue  eyes, 
who  had  come  from  the  north  of  Europe  and  were 
going,  as  they  hoped,  to  meet  their  Scandinavian 
friends,  in  the  far-off  land  of  the  Golden  West. 

The  bell  struck  the  signal  for  departure.  The 
cry  of  "  all  aboard  "  instantly  put  the  throng  in  mo- 
tion, and  with  scrambling  and  running,  falling  and 
mistaking  the  way,  then  finding  it  by  directions  and 
kind  assurances  of  the  conductor  and  pohcemen 
— of  which  not  a  word  was  understood  by  one  of 
the  number,  beyond  the  gentle  tones  and  afiable 
manners,  which  expression  of  good  will  never  needs 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  15 

interpretation — all  were  at  length  comfortably  seated 
in  the  coaches,  and  the  train  moved  onward,  more 
and  more  swiftly,  and  the  last  sound  of  the  whistle 
and  clamor  of  its  wheels  was  lost  in  the  distance, 
as  the  iron  steed  dashed  away  toward  the  Great 
West  with  the  great  company  who  had  exclianged 
the  privations  and  penurj^  of  their  native  land,  for 
thrift  and  prosperity  in  the  land  of  their  adoption; 
who  had  braved  the  perils  of  the  sea,  anticipating 
rich  rewards  for  hardships  endured,  when  at  last 
the  Eldorado  of  their  happy  dream  should  have 
been  reached,  and  home  should  be  dearer  home 
again. 

I,  too,  was  going  to  the  Great  West,  and  accord- 
ingly took  passage,  the  day  following,  for  Cincinnati, 
there  to  meet,  as  I  hoped,  the  little  party  who  pro- 
posed to  make  an  extended  tour  of  exploration 
throughout  the  States  and  Territories,  from  the 
confluence  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi,  to  the 
northern  boundary  of  our  country,  and  from  the 
Mississippi  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  for  he  who 
would  write  of  the  "wilds  of  the  West,  beyond  the 
bounds  of  civiHzation"  must  write  quickly,  or  the 
party  of  yesterday  and  other  parties  of  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  will  be  there  before  him,  to 
convert  the  smihng  prairies  of  primeval  nature  into 
golden  wheat-fields  and  pretty  gardens,  to  utihze  the 
mountain  torrents  for  turning  mill-wheels,  and  ta 
rear  the  church-spire  and  dome  of  the  school-house 
where  now  the  tall  and  stately  forests  extend  their 
arms  in  token  of  welcome. 

I  was  duly  equipped  with  the  supplies  needful  for 
the  journey,  from  the  most  approved  fishing-rod 


16  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA 


that  piscatorial  art  could  devise,  and  rifle  for  which 
Daniel  Boone  would  have  given  the  peltries  of  an 
•entire  season,  field-glass,  microscope,  note-book  and 
pencil,  with  all  the  odds  and  ends  which  kind  and 
thoughful  friends  had  deposited  in  my  knapsack, 
and  which — ten  thousand  thanks  to  them — I  found 
most  useful. 

However  fully  and  carefully  may  even  an  Amer- 
ican read  of  the  vast  magnitude,  the  illimitable 
resources,  the  present  and  prospective  advantages 
of  our  country,  however  he  may  wonder  at  the 
tabular  showing  and  long  columns  of  statistics  that 
gazetteers  take  so  much  pains  to  collect,  and  so  much 
pleasure  in  placing  before  him,  concerning  the  rapid 
growth,  the  remarkable  prosperity  and  general  and 
singular  beauty  of  our  great  western  cities,  he  can 
attain  a  full  conception  of  the  marvelous  facts  only 
ty  making  a  tour  of  observation  for  himself ;  and 
when  he  has  done  so,  he  will  be  more  inclined  to 
glorify  the  American  eagle,  and  pronounce  for  Yan- 
kee Doodle  sovereignty  than  ever  before.  There  is 
nothing,  not  all  the  patriotic  addresses  of  Wash- 
ington nor  Patrick  Henry,  Webster  nor  Clay,  nor  all 
the  Fourth  of  July  orations  ever  read  or  listened  to, 
will  so  intensify  a  man's  patriotism,  if  he  be  intelh- 
gent  and  honest,  as  to  make  a  tour  of  inspection 
from  one  boundary  of  Uncle  Sam's  domains  to  the 
other.  He  will  see  and  feel  wherever  he  goes  that 
under  the  national  flag  there  is  that  measure  of 
liberty,  equality  and  fraternity,  that  thrift  and 
prosperity,  that  enterprise,  energy,  self-reHance, 
individuality,  force  of  character  and  grandeur  of 
achievements,  which  not  all  the  experiments  under 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  17 

any  other  government,  has  the  world  elsewhere 
ever  attained.  Without  participating  in  the  spirit 
of  rivalry  which  occasionally  evinces  itself  in  para- 
graphs in  the  local  public  journals  of  the  chief  cities, 
or  caring  in  the  least  whether  Chicago  or  Cincin- 
nati maintains  the  greatest  beef  and  pork-packing 
business,  or  a  heavier  grain  trade,  or  whether  St. 
Louis  takes  the  lead,  or  Louisville  outdoes  all  other 
cities  in  her  operations  in  tobacco,  or  one  city  has 
a  score  or  two  more  inhabitants  than  another,  we 
may  surely  find  enough  to  attract  attention,  awaken 
a  hvely  interest  and  excite  admiration  and  wonder 
in  each  and  all  of  them ;  and  this  also  in  cities  of 
lesser  pretentions  that  are,  in  fact,  fast  rising  to 
equal  opulence  and  importance. 

As  we  note  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  chief 
cities — or  that  are  entitled  to  such  distinction  to- 
day— we  may  form  an  idea  of  the  greatness  that  will 
soon  be  attained  by  the  lesser  ones  of  favorable 
geographical  position,  having  ample  and  direct 
facilities  of  communication  with  vast  and  thriving 
tributary  regions  of  country,  as  well  as  with  the 
great  markets  of  the  East. 

How  we  delight  in  our  quiet  moments — in  those 
lulls  which  now  and  then  occur  in  the  rush  and 
whir  of  the  busiest  lives — to  step  through  the  half- 
closed  doors  leading  into  the  avenues  of  the  past, 
and  again  wander  through  the  paths  we  have  trod, 
to  climb  the  hills  and  drink  from  the  fountains 
where  we  climbed,  and  from  which  we  quaffed  in 
the  long  ago. 

Ah,  wondrous  fair  have  grown  those  paths  which 
then  were  oft  so  monotonous  and  common  place ! 

2 


18  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    Q'j^'   AMEKICA, 

Forgetting  all  the  roughness  of  the  way,  the  briers 
that  pierced  our  feet,  the  obstacles  that  were  al- 
most insurmountable,  and  the  storms  that  beat 
upon  us — forgetting  the  sultry  noons,  and  the  chill 
of  bleak  wintry  days,  and  remembering  only  the 
cool  depths  of  the  green  w^oods,  crystal  springs 
gushing  from  mossy  rocks,  flowery  glades  where  we 
rested,  and  sun-kissed  hills  that  blushed  wdth  beauty, 
we  revel  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  what  then  with 
fortitude  and  hope  we  only  endured.  It  is  this  ten- 
dency of  the  mind  to  dwell  with  pleasure  on  things 
of  the  past — this  golden  haze  with  which  the  hand 
of  time  clothes  and  glorifies  pleasures  past  and 
treasures  lost,  that  renders  travel  so  delightful. 
What  heart-pictures  hang  in  memory's  gallery,  and 
how  fondly  do  we  turn  to  them  in  long  after  years ! 
It  is  wise  pohcy  to  forget  the  disagreeables  of  life — 
to  mark  only  golden  hours — to  trap  the  sunbeams 
as  they  flit  by  us,  and  the  wisest  philosophy  to 
extract  all  possible  enjoyment  from  the  comming- 
hng  in  hfe's  experience  of  sorrows  and  joys,  smiles 
and  tears,  tempests  and  sunshine. 

With  such  musings  I  was  so  absorbed,  that  I  did 
not  hear  the  calling  of  the  station,  and  had  scarcely 
time  to  collect  my  possessions,  to  pocket  my  rail- 
way guide  and  to  leave  the  train  at  the  pretty  httle 
city  of  Erie,  Penn.,  before  it  was  again  in  motion. 
In  the  beautiful  lake  shore  region  of  northwestern 
Pennsylvania,  where  the  town  of  Erie  now  stands, 
the  searcher  after  historic  relics  may^find  some  still 
existing  traces  of  ^an  old  fortress,  built  by  the  French 
in  1749,  and  called  by  them  Fort  de  la  Presque  Isle,  • 
The  historical  associations  of  the  locality  are  full 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  19 

of  interest.  Though  Erie  is  now  "  away  down 
East"  it  was  once  on  the  frontiers  of  the  West.  A 
century-and-a-haK  ago,  buffaloes  roamed  over  this 
region  and  the  Indian  pursued  his  game.  Those 
were  stirring  times,  when  white  men  came  across 
the  ocean  to  dispute  with  each  other  for  the  posses- 
sion of  the  lands  of  the  red  men. 

The  adjoining  peninsula  from  which  the  fort  de- 
rived its  name,  did  not  at  that  time,  extend  so  far 
down  the  lake,  by  several  hundred  yards,  as  it  does 
at  present,  and  was  as  far  from  presenting  the  pictur- 
esque appearance  of  to-day  as  can  well  be  imagined. 
Dreary  and  barren,  it  extended  to  formidable  length, 
to  the  obstruction  of  navigation  along  the  coast,  yet 
forming  a  safe  harbor,  where  vessels  might  ride  at 
anchor  through  the  fiercest  storm ;  and  storms  on 
Lake  Erie  were  then  as  now,  more  dreaded  by  the 
sailor  than  on  the  broad  Atlantic.  This  harbor  has 
greatly  changed  in  appearance  since  those  early 
days,  for  the  grand  old  trees  which  then  cast  their 
fantastic  shadows  far  out  upon  its  placid  waters, 
have  long  since  fallen  beneath  the  strokes  of  the 
hardy  pioneer,  and  in  their  stead  have  arisen  the 
fisherman's  cottage  and  Jthe  busy  marts  of  trade 
and  commerce.  Gone  forever  from  the  coast  of 
Erie  is  the  Frenchman's  batteau  and  the  war  canoe 
of  the  savage ;  level,  overgrown  and  obhterated  the 
graves  of  the  men  of  those  times,  and  crumbhng 
and  moss-grown  are  the  quaint  old  head-stones  that 
mark  the  last  resting  places  of  their  great  grand- 
children. So  have  the  years  rolled  on ;  so  has  the 
question  of  proprietorship  of  the  lands  and  waters 
been  solved ;  so  will  the  problem  of  nationahty  and 


20  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA 


ownership  of  the  great  West  be  solved,  and  the 
historian  of  another  century  will  tell  of  a  race  that 
hved,  that  offered  feeble  resistance  to  the  march  of 
civihzation,  only  to  be  crushed  and  swept  from  the 
face  of  the  earth  for  their  temerity.  But  the  lake 
still  brightens  in  the  sunshine  and  darkens  in  the 
^torm,  as  of  old;  still  the  waves  dash  in  fury  with 
the  gale,  still  the  wavelets  answer  to  the  gentle 
breeze,  and  placid  waters  reflect  the  features  of 
nature  and  the  works  of  man;  and' still  the  rocks 
and  hills  along  the  lovely  shores  tower  aloft  as  in 
the  days  when  they  echoed  back  the  gay  song  of 
the  French  voyageur,  or  the  appalling  war  cry  of 
the  red  men  of  the  forest. 

In  the  year  1760,  the  French  abandoned  the  west- 
ern waters  and  Presque  Isle  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  Enghsh,  who  held  it  unmolested  until  June 
4,  1763 — a  fatal  day  to  many  of  the  garrisons  posted 
throughout  the  West,  for  on  that  day  was  enacted 
the  first  bloody  tragedy  of  Pontiac's  war, — a  war 
which,  though  of  short  duration,  yet  lasted  long 
enough  to  fill  the  whole  frontier  with  mourning  and 
desolation. 

Pontiac,  who  was  chief  of  the  Ottawa  tribe  and 
principal  Sachem  of  the  Algonquin  Confederacy, 
was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  Indians  in  the 
annals  of  history.  His  form  was  noble,  his  address 
commanding,  and  he  was  distinguished  for  that  lofty 
courage  and  burning  eloquence  that  inspired  his  race 
with  heroic  daring,  won  the  confidence  of  the  Lake 
Indians,  and  moulded  them  to  his  will. 

The  plan  of  operations  adopted  by  this  powerful 
chieftain  for  effecting  the  extinction  of  the  Enghsh 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  21 

power,  evinced  genius  and  courage  of  high  order. 
It  was  a  sudden  and  simultaneous  attack  on  all  the 
mihtary  posts  upon  the  lake.  If  all  could  be  sur- 
prised in  one  day  and  every  EngHsh  banner  which 
floated  from  the  ramparts  of  all  this  hne  of  forts  be 
prostrated  at  the  same  time,  the  garrisons  would  be 
unable  to  exchange  assistance,  so  that  probably  the 
war  might  begin  and  end  with  a  single  blow,  and 
Pontiac  again  be  king  and  master  in  the  land  of  his 
fathers. 

This  plan  he  first  disclosed  to  the  Ottawas,  one 
of  the  most  powerful  tribes  in  all  the  lake  shore 
region,  and  having  thoroughly  convinced  them  of 
its  wisdom  and  expediency,  he  then  assembled  a 
grand  council  of  the  Confederacy  at  the  river  Aux 
Ecorces.  To  these  assembled  tribes  he  urged  the 
feasibihty  of  his  plan  with  all  the  cunning  and  elo- 
quence of  which  he  was  master.  He  appealed  to 
their  fears,  their  hopes,  their  patriotism,  their  ha- 
tred of  the  English  and  their  spirit  of  revenge. 
Aware  of  the  great  power  of  superstition  over  their 
minds,  he  appealed  to  this  under  the  pretence  of  a 
revelation — as  the  much-married  men  of  Utah  have 
since  done — a  revelation  which  the  Great  Spirit  had 
made  to  him  in  a  dream.  "  Why,"  said  the  G-reat 
Spirit,  ^'why  do  you  suffer  these  dogs  to  enter  your 
country  and  take  away  the  land  I  have  given  you  ? 
Drive  them  from  it,  and  when  you  are  in  distress  I 
wiU  help  you." 

This  was  the  finishing  stroke.  If  the  Great  Spirit 
was  on  their  side,  it  was  of  course,  impossible  to 
fail.  AU  the  details  of  this  scheme  were  arranged 
upon  the  spot,  and  aU  along  the  lake  frontiers,  and 


22  LIFE    IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

even  down^  to  the  borders  of  North  Carohna,  did 
the  hostile  tribes  join  in  the  terrible  conspiracy. 

Meanwhile  the  unsuspecting  traders  pursued  their 
traffic  in  fancied  security,  with  the  seemingly  friend- 
ly savages ;  the  soldiers  in  the  fort  became  idle  and 
careless  from  inaction;  the  frontiersmen  planted 
their  corn  and  confidently  hoped  for  an  unmolested 
harvest,  for  now  that  the  war  with  France  was  over, 
they  feared  no  further  disturbance  from  the  Indians. 
Alas,  even  then  a  relentless  foe  was  marching  upon 
them  with  rapid  strides. 

Gradually  every  post  was  hemmed  in  by  the  con- 
federate tribes.  At  last  the  fatal  day  came.  The 
morning  broke  clear  and  calm  in  the  dehcious  fresh- 
ness of  early  summer.  The  grand  old  forest,  clothed 
in  all  the  rich  luxuriance  of  leafy  June,  gave  forth 
no  warning  of  approaching  danger  to  the  doomed 
stockade,  and  yet  through  all  its  green  arcades  and 
deep  recesses  were  silently  mustering  the  vengeful 
foe. 

At  the  fort  the  soldiers  had  repaired  to  their 
quarters  for  breakfast.  Some,  who  had  already  fin- 
ished, sauntered  down  to  the  beach,  where  they  idly 
watched  the  sparkling  waves  as  they  swept  in  before 
the  freshening  breeze  and  dashed  in  feathery  foam 
upon  the  sands;  others  were  strolling  aimlessly 
about  the  fortress  whiling  away  the  morning  hours 
with  jest  and  song.  Suddenly  a  knocking  was  heard 
at  the  gate,  and  three  Indians  in  hunting  garb  were 
announced,  desiring  an  interview  with  the  comman- 
der. They  claimed  to  belong  to  a  hunting  party 
who  had  started  for  Niagara  with  a  lot  of  furs,  that 
their  canoes  were  bad,  and  rather  than  go  further 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  23 

they  would  sell  them  at  the  fort  at  a  great  bargain ; 
that  their  party  had  encamped  by  a  small  stream 
about  a  mile  west  of  the  fort,  where  they  had 
landed  the  previous  night,  and  where  they  wished 
the  commander  to  go  and  examine  their  peltries,  as 
it  was  difficult  to  bring  them  through  the  woods 
without  pack-horses,  and  they  wished  to  embark 
from  where  they  were  in  case  they  could  not  trade. 
The  story  was  plausible  enough,  and  told  with  every 
appearance  of  truth,  but  no  sooner  did  they  get  the 
commander  and  the  few  who  had  accompanied  him 
within  their  camp,  than  they  murdered  them,  and 
then  sent  some  two  hundred  of  their  band  back  to 
the  fort,  bearing  upon  their  shoulders  what  appeared 
to  be  large  packs  of  furs,  which  they  informed  the 
officer  in  charge  the  commander  had  purchased  and 
ordered  deposited  within  the  fort. 

The  lieutenant  had  been  charged  by  his  superior 
when  he  left  the  fort  to  allow  no  one  to  enter  within 
during  his  absence,  and  well  would  it  have  been  for 
the  little  garrison  had  this  order  been  obeyed. 
Whether  there  was  any  parley  held  with  the  sav- 
ages, or  any  reluctance  manifested  about  admitting 
them,  tradition  telleth  not,  but  the  strategem  suc- 
ceeded, and  when  within  the  fort  the  Indians  threw 
off  their  packs  which  proved  to  be  only  an  outside 
covering  of  furs  concealing  their  w^eapons,  and  seiz- 
ing these,  with  loud  yells  of  triumph  they  rushed 
with  demoniac  fury  upon  the  panic-stricken  troops. 
Unarmed  and  outnumbered,  resistance  was  of  but 
little  avail ;  yet  we  may  weU  believe  that  many  a 
brave  fellow  seized  whatever  weapon  came  to  hand 
and  died  not  unavenged. 


24 

A  soldier  who  had  gone  out  early  in  search  of 
game,  heard  the  hideous  yells,  and  as  he  cautiously 
approached  the  fort,  discovered  a  party  of  Indians 
dragging  away  several  prisoners ;  turning  quickly,  he 
fled  through  the  forest,  and  after  many  hair  breadth 
escapes,  finally  arrived  in  safety  at  Niagara.  Only 
one  other  was  left  ahve  from  that  horrid  massacre, 
and  that  one  was  a  woman.  She  had  taken  shelter 
in  a  small  hut  below  the  hill,  and  there  she  remained 
undiscovered  until  near  the  close  of  that  fatal  day, 
when  her  retreat  was  invaded  by  a  hideously  painted 
warrior,  who  made  her  a  prisoner  but  spared  her 
life.  All  the  other  prisoners  were  put  to  death 
with  cruel  tortures,  and  she  alone  escaped  to  tell  the 
tale,  but  it  was  after  long  years  of  captivity  more 
cruel  than  death. 

Nine  garrisons  on  that  day  of  horrors,  fell  a  prey 
to  the  fierce  assailants;  the  remaining  four  either 
received  warning  in  time  to  guard  against  surprise, 
or  they  were  favored  with  commanders  of  superior 
skill  and  caution.  With  these  the  strategy  of  the 
wily  savages  was  unsuccessful  and  the  garrisons, 
although  sorely  pressed  were  enabled  to  hold  out 
until  relief  arrived  from  the  eastern  settlements. 

In  the  year  following,  Gen.  Bradstreet  w^ent  up 
the  lake  with  three  thousand  men  to  the  relief  of 
Detroit.  They  passed  Presque  Isle  on  their  way, 
and  upon  their  return  to  that  point  a  treaty  of 
peace  was  agreed  upon  with  the  Delawares  and 
Shawnese ;  but  it  was  soon  broken  by  the  savages, 
and  the  frontier  was  kept  in  constant  alarm  and 
trepidation  until  Wayne's  expedition  in  1794.  This 
renowned  general  and  successful  Indian  fighter,  on 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  25 

his  way  to  the  Maumee,  estabhshed  a  garrison  at 
Presque  Isle,  and  here  on  his  return,  two  years  later, 
he  died  and  was  buried  at  the  foot  of  the  flag-staff,, 
but  in  1809  his  remains  were  removed  to  the  church- 
yard of  his  former  place  of  w^orship  in  Delaware 
County,  Pennsylvania. 

The  next  famous  personage  whose  honored  name 
is  associated  with  Erie,  was  Commodore  Perry, 
then  only  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  arrived  at- 
Presque  Isle  February  27,  1813,  and  immediately 
urged  on  the  work  of  building  and  equipping  the  fleet, 
which  under  his  daring  and  skillful  command  swept 
the  British  fleet  from  the  western  waters.  The  vic- 
torious vessels  with  their  prizes  so  gallantly  won  on 
the  memorable  10th  of  September,  were  taken  back 
to  the  harbor  of  Presque  Isle,  where  some  of  them 
afterw^ards  sunk  and  remained  in  that  condition  for 
many  years. 

But  the  Erie  of  to-day,  rich  in  historical  associa- 
tions as  it  is,  no  longer  lies  upon  the  frontier  of  the 
West. 

Arriving  in  the  city  of  Cleveland,  and  having  but 
a  day  or  two  for  observation,  we  made  the  best  use 
of  our  time  and  of  our  eyes. 

Upon  the  central  public  park  there  is  a  fine  statue 
of  Com.  Perry,  with  emblematical  surroundings. 
From  its  position,  the  lake, — a  few  hundred  yard& 
away — can  be  plainly  seen  through  the  vista  of  the 
wide  spreading  branches  of  grand  old  trees,  which 
are  so  very  numerous  as  to  fuUy  warrant  the  name 
which  distinguishes  Cleveland  as  the  "Forest  City." 

There  is  not  a  more  cleanly  and  beautiful  city  on 
the   continent  than  Cleveland.      Situated  upon  a. 


26  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

bluff  a  hundred  feet  perhaps,  above  the  lake,  with 
other  bluffs  and  hills  that  form  the  southern  bound- 
ary of  the  city,  which  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the 
Cuyahoga  river,  its  sanitary  condition  in  relation  to 
drainage,  is  all  that  can  be  desired.  Along  the 
eastern  frontage  of  the  city  rises  terrace  above  ter- 
race, clothed  with  verdure,  while  the  plateau  above 
is  crow^ned  with  a  lovely  park,  adorned  with  choice 
flowers,  ornamental  trees,  shrubs  and  grottoes,  and 
laid  out  with  pleasant  walks  most  enjoyable  at  all 
times  in  warm  weather,  but  especially  charming 
upon  a  moonlight  evening,  with  the  lake  in  full 
view,  its  pure  waters  shimmering  and  sparkhng  like 
molten  silver,  with  steamers  and  sailing  vessels  in 
the  back-ground  of  the  picture,  and  in  the  fore- 
ground countless  little  boats  and  canoes  plying  at 
the  pleasure  of  parties  who  direct  their  course,  and 
with  a  fine  band  discoursing  delicious  music  to  the 
happy  groups  who  come  hither  for  a  pleasant  prome- 
nade. 

Euclid  Avenue  is  one  of  the  most  delightful 
thoroughfares  to  be  seen  in  any  city  in  this  coun- 
try. Broad,  level  and  skirted  with  large  ornamental 
trees  that  almost  mingle  their  foliage  from  opposite 
sides,  the  avenue  is  an  arcade  or  bower  of  living 
green,  affording  a  delightful  shade,  deliciously  cool 
and  refreshing  in  midsummer,  while  myriads  of 
birds — an  importation  of  Enghsh  sparrows,  and 
their  progeny — hold  high  carnival  in  this  forest  of 
beauty.  These  httle  birds,  by  the  way,  are  great 
protectors  of  the  trees;  they  endure  the  cold 
weather  with  wondrous  hardihood,  and  with  the 
'daily  offering  of   crumbs  which  the  people  then 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  27 

gladly  bestow,  they  manage  to  pick  up  a  living 
during  the  "glacial  period"  of  a  northern  winter, 
and  they  avail  themselves  of  the  cosy  cots  gener- 
ously provided  for  them,  becoming  very  tame  and 
almost  familiar  with  their  patrons,  and  though  there 
is  not  more  music  in  their  tiny  throats  than  in  a 
penny  whistle,  they  do  their  best  to  express  their 
gratitude,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  all 
bipeds. 

Elegant  residences  with  spacious  ornamental 
grounds  and  pretty  lawns  extend  for  miles  along 
this  charming  avenue  of  the  thriving,  busy  and 
prosperous  city,  which  may  well  lay  claim  to  the 
possession  of  some  of  the  best  schools,  finest 
churches,  most  substantial  blocks,  largest  ware- 
houses and  workshops,  excellent  hotels  and  best 
news  journals  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  great  cities 
of  the  West. 

Cleveland  is  every  year  becoming  more  and  more  a 
favorite  summer  resort  for  people  of  the  sunny  South 
who  seek  to  escape  from  the  scorching  atmosphere 
of  the  torrid  clime  and  find  a. delightful  breathing- 
place  in  the  cool  regions  of  the  North.  In  late 
spring,  balmy  summer  and  early  autumn,  Cleveland 
is  in  hohday  dress,  and  most  delightful.  In  early 
spring  and  late  autumn  it  is  a  good  place  to  vacate, 
unless  one  has  India-rubber  lungs  and  throat  lined 
with  vulcanite.  In  mid-winter,  with  good  sleigh- 
ing, the  visitor  will  see  many  of  the  finest  turn-outs, 
and  on  Euclid  avenue  especially,  witness  a  scene 
oi  gaiety  and  hfe  noticeable  in  few  other  cities. 


28 


CHAPTEE II. 

The  Mounds  of  Ohio  and  the  Mound  Builders — Excavations  and  Inter- 
esting; Discoveries— The  Primitive  Settlement  of  America — Wash-^ 
ington's  Island — Views  of  Pittsburgh. 

The  non-arrival  of  two  or  more  gentlemen  from 
the  other  side  of  the  ocean,  v^ho  were  to  join  our 
party  in  St.  Louis,  occasioned  a  short  delay  in 
starting  upon  our  proposed  expedition  to  the  West, 
and  though  somewhat  disappointed  and  impatient 
to  proceed,  as  it  was  already  the  first  week  of  May, 
and  I  wished  to  see  the  prairies  before  the  advance 
of  the  season  should  have  withered  their  verdure, 
I  availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  thus  afforded 
for  visiting  localities  and  scenes  of  special  interest 
in  the  ''Buckeye  State"  and  in  Kentucky.  In 
these  sections  of  country  there  are  a  thousand 
things  of  extraordinary  interest  to  see,  and  well 
worth  all  the  trouble  and  time  required  for  doing 
so. 

An  opportunity  for  seeing  the  great  earth  mounds 
of  Ohio  was  not  to  be  neglected.  A  profound, 
perhaps  impenetrable  mystery  envelops  ahke  the 
construction  and  purposes  of  these  wonderful  works, 
the  creations  of  a  race  of  men  who  have  been 
dust  for  centuries,  of  whom  no  other  record  or 
memorial  has  ever  been  discovered  than  these  monu- 
ments, which  are,  if  undisturbed  by  man,  as  lasting 
as  the  pryamids  of  Egypt.  These  artificial  mounds 
are  very  frequently  connected  with  the  remains  of" 
forts,  walls  and  other  fortifications,  that  for  engi- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  29 

neering  skill  and  mathematical  ingenuity  would 
compare  favorably  with  many  works  of  similar 
character  of  the  present  day. 

I  first  visited  these  old-time  fortifications  near 
Newark,  Ohio,  at  the  forks  of  the  Muskingum 
Eiver.  These  works  are  on  the  most  extensive 
scale,  extending  over  an  area  considerably  larger 
than  that  occupied  by  the  entire  city  of  Cincinnati. 
The  fortifications  face  the  north,  and  lie  between 
Raccoon  Creek  and  the  South  Fork,  forming  three 
sides  of  a  rhomboidal  figure.  On  the  extreme  left 
there  are  the  remains  of  a  circular  fort,  which  con- 
tains about  twenty-two  acres.  In  the  center  of 
this  fort  is  an  observatory  of  stone,  that  evidently 
at  the  period  of  its  construction,  rose  to  a  far 
greater  height  than  the  surrounding  territory,  of 
which  it  commanded  an  unobstructed  view^  for 
many  miles  in  every  direction.  This  fort  and  also 
the  other  works  connected  with  it,  are  built  on  the 
bluffs  of  the  two  streams.  Northeast  of  it,  and 
nearly  half  a  mile  distant,  there  is  another  larger 
fort,  octagonal  in  shape,  which  encloses  about  forty 
acres.  It  is  connected  with  the  former  by  tw^o 
parallel  waUs  that  originally  formed  covert  ways. 
From  the  latter,  parallel  waUs  extend  southward 
for  a  distance  of  several  miles,  and  from  their  con- 
struction it  is  probable  that  these  formed  a  line  of 
connection  with  other  works  of  a  similar  character, 
located  about  thirty  miles  distant.  From  each  of 
these  forts,  covert  ways  extended  to  the  river,  on 
the  west  and  north.  The  larger  of  these  forts  is 
connected  by  two  high  walls  with  another  fort 
nearly  four  miles  to  the  eastward,  and  situated  near 


30 

the  junction  of  the  two  streams.  This  is  nearly 
square  and  covers  an  area  of  twenty  acres.  It 
communicates  with  the  river  on  the  north  by  cov- 
ert ways,  and  with  two  small  redoubts  and  a  number 
of  mounds,  by  parallel  walls.  In  this  manner  it  is 
connected  with  another  large  fort  containing  nearly 
thirty  acres,  and  situated  about  two  miles  to  the 
southwest.  The  last,  hke  the  first,  is  circular,  and  is 
situated  about  four  miles  from  it. 

The  mounds  connected  with  these  fortifications 
were  evidently  used  as  burial  places  for  the  dead — 
probably  those  who  fell  in  battle — as  skeletons  and 
fragments  of  the  bones  of  human  beings  have  been 
found  in  them.  Fhnt  arrow  and  spear-heads,  and 
other  stone  implements  are  found  in  this  locahty  in 
great  abundance. 

I  subsequently  visited  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  the  burial  mounds  located  in  Lancaster,  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio.  It  is  about  fifty  feet  in  diameter, 
and  twenty  feet  in  height.  A  few  years  ago  it  was 
opened,  and  in  it  were  found  twelve  human  skele- 
tons, inclosed  in  an  earthen  vessel  which  was 
moulded  with  considerable  skill,  but  without  em- 
blem or  ornamentation.  This  vessel  rested  upon  a 
furnace  of  unhewn  stone  eighteen  feet  in  length. 
In  the  same  vessel  were  found  many  shells,  beads, 
and  arrow-heads.  The  furnace  contained  a  large 
quantity  of  ashes  and  charcoal,  and  the  vessel  in 
which  the  skeletons  were  deposited  bore  marks  of 
the  most  intense  heat.  Did  the  Mound  Builders 
dispose  of  their  dead  by  cremation  ?  In  most  cases 
throughout  the  West,  w^here,  by  the  way,  burial 
mounds  are  very  numerous,  the  exhumed  remains. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  31 

of  the  Mound  Builders  have  been  found  highly  cal- 
cined. 

The  Mammoth  mound  of  West  Virginia  was  next 
visited.     It  is  situated  on  the  flats  of  Grave  Creek 
near  EHzabethtown,  Marshall  County.     It  is,  per- 
haps, half  a  mile  distant  from  the  river,  and  may  be 
distinctly  seen  from  the  decks  of  passing  steamers. 
Situated  on  the  level  "flats,"  it  presents  a  striking 
and  interesting  appearance.     It  occupies  an  area  of 
about  two  acres,   and   slopes   gradually  from  the 
summit,  which  rises  far  above  the  tops  of  the  tall- 
est trees  that  grow  at  its  base.     The  mound  is  sur- 
rounded by  an  enclosure  embracing  several  acres, 
which  is  now  utihzed  for  the  county  fair-grounds. 
Upon  its  sides,  which  are  clothed  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  blue-grass,  large  forest  trees  of  oak  and 
poplar  have  grown,  and  judging  from  the  size  and 
number  of  these,  Mammoth  mound  is  as  old  as  the 
hills  a  mile  away  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
A  gigantic  oak  that  formerly  grew  on  the  summit 
of  the  mound,  and  which  was  cut  down  to  give  place 
to  an  ornamental  building,  erected  a  few  years  ago, 
showed  by  its  concentric  circles  that  it  was  at  least 
half  a  century  old.     In  the  summer,  when  the  trees 
upon  the  mound  are  covered  with  fohage,  it  appears 
to  be  twice  as  large  as  it  really  is. 

The  excavations  which  have  thus  far  been  made 
have  proved  unsatisfactory ;  no  rehcs  especially  in- 
teresting have  been  discovered  therein.  Speculation 
only  can  define  its  purpose,  but  there  are  reasons 
which  seem  to  warrant  the  opinion  that  it  was  de- 
signed for  rehgious  ceremonies;  it  may,  however 
have  formed  one  in  the  series  of  signal  stations,. 


32 


LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF    AMEKICA, 


which  as  aheady  remarked,  extend  the  entire  length 
of  the  Ohio ;  and  this  idea  is  strengthened  by  its 
height  above  the  general  level,  which  is  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Its  extraordinary  size  pre- 
cludes the  idea  that  it  was  erected  as  a  place  of 
interment  for  the  dead,  and  it  is  of  a  different  char- 
acter from  the  structures  designed  for  defensive 
purposes. 

About  four  hundred 
yards  from  the  base  of 
the  mound,  there  is  an 
immense  basin  from  which 
the  earth  was  taken  to 
build  it.  With  what  pa- 
tience was  the  herculean 
labor  performed !  Thous- 
ands of  men  doubtless 
aided  in  its  construction. 
Toihng  as  the  ants  toil, 
they  may  have  transported 
the  material  in  their  arms, 
or  possibly  the  huge  ani- 
mals of  that  period  may 
have  been  employed  for 
the  purpose.  The  basin, 
like  the  mound,  is  covered 
with  a  growth  of  gigantic  forest-trees  which  are  of 
larger  size  than  those  upon  the  mound;  many  of 
them  are  sycamore  and  elm. 

The  ancient  earth-works  at  Marietta,  0.,  are  situ- 
ated on  the  east  bank  of  the  Muskingum  River, 
about  half  a  mile  above  its  junction-with  the  Ohio. 
Though  not  so  extensive  as  the  works  at  Newark, 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  33 

they  are,  perhaps,  more  generally  interesting  from 
the  more  remarkable  relics  that  have  been  found  in 
tj^em.  In  one  of  the  mounds  in  this  vicinity  a 
highly  ornamented  silver  cup  was  discovered  a  few 
years  ago.  It  it  said  to  have  been  gilded  upon  the 
inside. 

In  this  vicinity  there  are  several  forts  or  inclos- 
ures  surrounded  by  earthen  walls  from  six  to  tw^elve 
feet  in  height.  The  largest  fort  is  nearly  square, 
and  embraces  nearly  forty  acres.  On  each  side 
there  were  three  gateways,  and  on  the  west  covert 
w^ays  extended  to  the  Muskingum  Eiver.  The  city 
cemetery  embraces  a  part  of  the  space  formerly 
occupied  by  a  small  fort  similar  in  construction  to 
those  already  described.  A  number  of  mounds  are 
within  the  enclosure ;  one  of  the  largest  of  which 
is  on  a  conspicuous  site  near  the  center  of  the 
grounds.  This  mound  is  a  little  more  than  a  hun- 
dred feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  about  thirty- 
five  feet  in  height.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  ditch 
five  feet  in  depth  and  twelve  feet  wide,  and  defended 
by  a  parapet  five  feet  high.  Among  the  monuments 
in  the  cemetery  are  those  of  Commodore  Whipple, 
of  Kevolutionary  fame.  General  Eufus  Putnam, 
Jonathan  Meigs,  once  Governor  of  Ohio,  and  many 
others.  WiU  these  memorials  be  as  enduring  as 
the  wonderful  works  of  the  mound  builders  ?  Num- 
erous remains  of  the  ancient  race  have  been 
exhumed  from  the  mounds  in  this  locahty.  Here 
in  the  same  ground  are  the  bones  of  men  whose 
hves  may  have  been  separated  for  a  thousand  years, 
perhaps  a  much  longer  period. 

The  mounds  that  were  used  whoUy  as  signal 


34  LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

stations,  are  very  numerous  on  the  Ohio  below 
Cincinnati,  and  extend  from  the  region  of  the 
Alleghany  mountains  to  the  Mississippi  River.  They 
all  occupy  commanding  sites  on  the  most  promi* 
nent  points,  and  each  one  is  within  view  of  that 
immediately  above  and  below  it.  Watch-fires,  or  a 
system  of  colored  hghts  may  have  been  their  means 
of  communication. 

The  earth  in  these  mounds  resembles  the  burned 
clay  of  brick-kilns,  and  it  is  seldom  that  human 
remains  or  rehcs  of  any  kind  are  found  in  them. 
They  appear  as  though  fires  had  been  kept  burn- 
ing upon  them  for  ages. 

In  Perry  county,  and  in  many  other  places  along 
the  bluffs  of  the  Ohio,  are  numerous  "  Rock 
Houses."  These  are  certainly  very  quaint  struc- 
tures. At  the  mouth  or  entrance  they  are  generally 
from  three  to  ten  feet  high ;  the  roof  slopes  back 
until  it  reaches  the  floor.  The  depth  seldom  ex- 
ceeds twenty  feet.  One  of  these  houses  is  knowQ 
as  the  Indian  Morter  Cave.  Within  the  mouth  of 
it,  is  a  large  stone  that  has  fallen  from  the  roof,  in 
which  there  are  several  round  holes  about  six  inches 
in  diameter,  from  one  to  two  feet  deep,  tapering  to 
the  bottom ;  these  appear  to  have  been  made  with 
an  iron  instrument.  Several  of  these  stone  huts 
have  been  entered  by  visitors,  who  have  been  re- 
warded for  their  pains  only  by  finding  arrow-heads 
and  stone  axes.  In  one  of  these  we  discovered 
^several  Indian  graves  that  were  walled  with  stone. 

As  numerous  as  are  the  mounds  along  the  Ohio 
River,  they  are  stiU  more  so  on  the  lands  adjacent 
to  the  Missouri,   the   Mississippi,   and  in  Adams 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  85 

County,  Illinois,  and  in  other  regions  of  the  West* 
An  examination  of  these  wonderful  works  shows 
conclusively  that  the  mound  builders  w  ere  numeri- 
cally a  great  people,  that  they  had  powerful  enemies 
and  consequently  were  compelled  to  erect  defensive 
works ;  that  they  possessed  a  knowledge  of  mathe- 
matics and  engineering  and  the  art  of  working  in 
metals,  at  least  to  some  extent,  all  of  which  implies. 
a  good  degree  of  intelligence. 

It  is  the  general  opinion  that  these  mounds,  forti- 
fications, and  rock  houses  were  not  constructed  by 
the  ancestors  of  the  red  race,  but  by  a  people  wholly 
distinct  from  them.  There  is  nothing  in  the  tradi- 
tions of  any  Indian  tribe  relating  to  these  structures, 
nor  to  a  people  by  whom  they  were  constructed. 
The  traditions  of  the  Indians  relate  only  to  the 
prowess  or  wonderful  skill  that  some  warrior  dis- 
played in  taking  human  hfe.  Concerning  the  anti- 
quities of  America,  no  hving  race  presents  an  iota  of 
liistory,  data,  or  tradition  upon  which  to  base  a 
theory. 

By  those  who  accept  the  Mosaic  account  of  the 
creation  of  man,  various  theories  have  been  ad- 
vanced to  account  for  the  primitive  settlement  of 
America.  It  is  argued  by  certain  eminent  writers 
that  this  continent  was  peopled  by  Asiatics,  who 
reached  it  by  the  way  of  Behring  Strait.  This 
theory  lacks  one  essential  feature  and  that  is  practi- 
cabihty.  To  reach  an  inhabitable  portion  of  Asia 
from  any  part  of  America  now  inhabited  by  a  civil- 
ized people,  by  the  only  route  claimed  as  practicable 
in  early  times,  would  now  be  regarded  as  an  impos- 
sibihty,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  people  of 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  37 

America  have  had  hundreds  of  years  experience  in 
exploring  unknown  lands ;  and  yet  it  is  maintained 
that  it  would  have  been  vastly  easy  of  acconiphsh- 
ment  three  thousand  years  ago,  when  men  were  so 
utterly  helpless  that  they  could  not  even  maintain 
a  wandering  existence  amid  the  mild  and  fertile  re- 
gions bordering  on  the  Red  Sea  without  the  special 
interposition  of  Grod  in  their  behalf. 

Other  writers  maintain  that  America  was  first- 
reached  by  crossing  the  Atlantic.  The  Phoenicians, 
in  the  days  of  Solomon,  visited  Ophir,  which  some 
geographers  assert  was  America.  Hanno,  a  distin- 
guished Carthaginian,  who  lived  three  thousand 
years  ago,  sailed  for  thirty  days  in  a  southwesterly 
direction  from  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar,  and  the  landa 
which  he  visited  were  probably  some  of  the  Islands 
contiguous  to  America,  or  perhaps  the  main-land 
itself.  Other  navigators  of  ancient  times  are  said 
to  have  visited  "  a  country  across  the  great  sea 
which  was  many  times  larger  than  the  whole  of  the 
then  known  w^orld,  and  whose  rivers  were  like  seas." 

Some  writers  maintain  that  the  red  men  of  Ameri- 
ca are  descendants  of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel,  hav- 
ing discovered  in  their  religious  rite.^  and  customs 
much  that  is  analagous  to  the  practices  of  the  an- 
cient Jew^s ;  that  America  is  "the far  coimtry  where- 
in man  never  dwelt"  to  which  allusion  is  made  in 
Esdras,  the  land  to  which  the  Israelites  bent  their 
wandering  steps.  There^  is  a  striking  resemblance 
between  the  mummies  found  in  the  caves  and  ruins, 
of  the  west,  and  those  found  in  the  catacombs  of 
Egypt.  Assuming  that  the  ancients  were  in  fre- 
quent communication  with  this  continent — which 


38  LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

assumption  seems  to  be  warranted,  since  such  com- 
munication was  practicable,  notwithstanding  the 
art  of  navigation  was  but  imperfectly  understood 
in  those  days — it  is  comparatively  easy  to  account 
for  the  primitive  settlement  of  America, — so  say  the 
theorists ;  but  the  aboriginal  history  of  our  land  will 
doubtless  forever  remain  a  mystery.  We  may  gaze 
with  wonder  upon  the  ruins  of  Peru  and  Central 
America,  the  teocallis  of  Mexico,  the  ancient  cities 
of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and  the  mounds  and 
fortifications  of  the  Ohio  and  the  West  generally; 
we  may  unearth  the  buried  trinkets  and  utensils  of 
war,  the  idols  and  ornaments,  and  implements  of 
stone;  but  our  knowledge  of  the  men  who  made 
them,  of  the  lives  they  led  and  the  fate  that  swept 
them  from  the  land  will  forever  be  utterly  wanting. 
A  careful  examination  of  the  works  of  their  hands, 
which  centuries  have  not  obhterated,  will  afford 
some  knowledge  of  the  customs  of  the  people  and 
so  far  hnk  their  history  with  that  of  mankind  and 
reheve  the  gloom  that  envelops  the  race  in  mystery. 
Not  how  the  Indian  came  here,  but  how  to  get 
rid  of  him  has  been  the  great  question  of  the  Ameri- 
can people,  and  there  is  no  mystery  whatever  con- 
nected with  the  disappearance  of  the  thousands  of 
^'braves"  who  once  sang  their  war-songs  and  joined 
in  the  chase  through  all  the  wild  and  picturesque 
regions,  from  the  lake  to  the  gulf,  and  from  the 
shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  the  plains  of  the  west. 

"  Alas  for  them!  their  day  is  o'er, 
Their  fires  are  out  from  shore  to  shore  ; 
No  more  for  them  the  wil<i  deer  bounds — 
The  plough  is  On  their  hunting  grounds, 
The  pale  man's  axe  rings  through  their  woods  ; 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  39 

The  pale  man's  sail  skims  o'er  their  floods  ; 
Their  pleasant  springs  are  dry  ; 
Their  children — look,  by  power  oppressed, 
Beyond  the  mountains  of  the  west — 
Their  children  go — to  die." 

Having  reached  the  point  where  the  rapid  Alle- 
ghany rushing  down  from  the  North,  meets  the  more 
gently  flowing  waters  of  the  Monongahela,  as  they 
•come  pouring  in  from  their  source  among  the  hills 
of  Virginia,  forming  by  their  confluence  the  Ohio, — 
named  in  the  early  times  by  its  French  discoverers 
La  Belle  Beviere — "  the  beautiful  river,"  I  visited 
Washington's  Island,  in  the  Alleghany,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  flourishing  and  prosperous  city  of 
Pittsburgh,  whose  coal  mines  in  the  neighboring 
hills  supply  fuel  for  the  cities  and  towns  along  the 
river  even  below  Louisville,  whose  glass  houses  and 
factories  send  their  merchandise  all  over  the  coun- 
try and  across  the  Atlantic ;  whose  industries  and 
enterprise  have  made  the  city  what  it  is — a  vast 
workshop,  whose  fires  are  never  extinguished,  a 
mart  of  trade  that  gives  the  city  rank  among  the 
first  and  best  in  the  union. 

On  the  Island,  George  Washington,  while  return- 
ing from  his  mission  to  fort  Le  Beuf — thirteen  miles 
from  Erie — passed  a  most  dreary  and  comfortless 
night.  He  had  left  his  worn-out  horses  and  heavy 
baggage,  and  for  the  sake  of  expedition  was  travel- 
ing on  foot,  accompanied  only  by  Christopher  Gist, 
an  old  frontiersman  of  great  courage  and  sagacity. 
When  they  reached  the  Alleghany  at  this  point,  in- 
stead of  finding  it  frozen  over,  as  they  had  expected, 
they  saw  that  the  ice  was  broken  up  and  driving  in 
;great  quantities  and  huge  masses  down  the  stream. 


40 

Washington  thus  describes  the  situation : 

"  There  was  no  way  for  getting  over,  but  on  a, 
raft,  which  we  set  about  making,  with  but  one  poor 
hatchet,  and  finished  just  after  sun-setting.  We 
next  got  it  launched,  then  went  on  board  and  set 
oft";  but  before  we  were  halfway  over,  we  were 
jammed  in  the  ice  in  such  a  manner  that  we  ex- 
pected every  moment  our  raft  to  sink,  I  put  out  my 
setting-pole  to  try  to  stop  the  raft,  that  the  ice 
might  pass  by,  when  the  rapidity  of  the  stream 
threw  it  with  so  much  violence  against  the  pole 
that  it  jerked  me  out  into  ten  feet  of  water ;  but  I 
fortunately  saved  myself  by  catching  hold  of  one  of 
the  raft  logs.  Notwithstanding  all  our  efforts,  we 
could  get  to  neither  shore,  but  were  obliged,  as  we 
were  near  an  island,  to  quit  our  raft  and  make  to  it. 

"  The  cold  was  so  extremely  severe,  that  Mr.  Gist 
had  all  his  fingers  frozen,  and  the  water  was  shut 
up  so  hard  during  the  night  that  we  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  getting  off  the  island  on  the  ice  in  the 
morning. 

"As  we  intended  to  take  horses  here,  and  it  re- 
quired some  time  to  find  them,  I  went  up  about  three 
miles,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny  to  visit 
Queen  Aliquippa.  I  made  her  a  present  of  a  watch- 
coat  and  a  bottle  of  rum,  w^hich  latter  was  thought 
much  the  better  present  of  the  two."  Fancy  the 
"Father  of  Our  Country"  paying  court  to  a  squaw, 
by  means  of  a  watch-coat  and  a  bottle  of  rum,  and 
then  facetiously  remarking  that  the  latter  was. 
thought  much  the  better  present  of  the  two ! 

Returning  to  Pittsburgh,  we  visited  the  old  fort 
which  formerly  guarded  the  river  or  rather  the  delta, 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  41 

and  with  which  many  highly  interesting  associations- 
of  the  early  history  of  the  country  are  connected ; 
then  turning  from  the  past  to  the  present,  and  with 
some  difficulty  climbing  to  the  summit  of  the  highest 
hill  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  we  had  a  fine 
view  of  the  city.  It  was  soon  after  sunrise,  the 
morning  was  dehghtful,  and  a  gentle  breeze  wafted 
far  away  the  clouds  of  smoke  which  had  veiled  the 
city  the  day  before,  and  the  dense  volumes  of  smoke 
constantly  rising  from  scores  of  tall  chimneys  and 
from  furnaces.  Below  us  was  the  great  city,  with 
its  cathedral  and  churches,  its  palatial  hotels  and 
great  factories,  its  elegant  residences,  imposing 
stores  and  warehouses,  and  busy  throngs  of  people. 
Immediately  at  our  feet  was  the  Monongahela — an 
important  vein  of  the  great  system  near  the  greater 
one,  a  mile  below.  On  either  side  of  the  bridge 
which  spans  the  Monongahela,  connecting  the 
busiest  portion  of  the  city  with  the  httle  hamlet 
of  Birmingham,  for  a  long  distance  up  and  down 
the  river,  were  numerous  fiat  boats  or  barges  laden 
almost  to  the  water's  edge  with  coal,  destined  for 
the  southern  market — coal  in  such  prodigious  quan- 
tities that  it  would  seem  the  hills  had  been 
excavated  to  mere  shells,  but  the  supply  is  as 
abundant  as  ever,  and  issuing  from  the  mouths  of 
dark  caverns  are  seen  numberless  carloads  of  coal 
to  freight  other  barges  which  are  to  arrive  from  the 
river  below. 

These  barges  are  a  pecuhar  feature  of  river  navi- 
gation. They  are  very  powerful,  hght  draft,  and 
with  a  capacity  of  holding  from  eight  thousand  to 
ten  thousand  tons  of   coal.      The  exports  of  this 


42  LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

product  from  Pittsburgh  amount  to  forty  or  fifty 
millions  bushels  annually,  of  which  Cincinnati  con- 
sumes about  one-tenth,  and  handles  much  of  the 
remainder.  The  barges  go  down  the  river  in  charge 
of  a  tug,  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  in  a  tow. 
Both  barges  and  tugs  are  built  expressly  for  the 
coal  trade,  and  the  tugs  are  as  noisy  and  trim  craft 
as  any  to  be  seen  in  eastern  rivers  or  harbors. 

The  waters  of  the  Ohio  had  been  swollen  to  a 
great  height  by  recent  rains,  which,  when  they 
come,  pour  in  torrents  adown  the  hillsides  in  rivu- 
lets and  broad  streams,  causing  a  rise  of  from  ten 
to  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  an  almost  incredible 
short  period  of  time.  Unusual  activity  prevailed. 
Heavily  laden  barges  were  constantly  departing  and 
empty  ones  taking  their  places.  These  coal  boats 
are  very  liable  to  disaster,  and  not  unfrequently 
sink  before  reaching  their  points  of  destination. 

The  miners  are  generally  foreigners.  They  are 
industrious  and  contented  with  their  lot.  To  many 
of  them  the  world  is  bounded  by  the  neighboring 
hills  on  all  sides  but  one,  and  that  one  the  extremity 
of  the  dark  mine.  There  are  many  famihes  of  the 
miners  who  have  never  seen  any  other  part  of  the 
world  than  that  presented  to  view  from  the  summit 
of  the  hills  that  their  husbands,  sons  and  brothers 
burrow  year  after  year.  Here  they  live  and  here 
they  die,  knowing  and  caring  no  more  for  the  great 
world  and  its  affairs  than  for  the  planets  and  what 
is  there  going  on,  beyond  the  advance  or  reduction 
of  wages,  which  is  a  matter  of  vital  interest  and 
importance  to  them. 

As  a  natural  consequence  of  such  isolation,  these 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  43 

people  are  very  different  from  otKer  men,  and 
though  generally  ignorant  of  all  else  than  coal 
mining,  are  hospitable  and  friendly,  more  especially 
to  each  other. 

The  steamer  will  leave  to-morrow,  and  we  must 
see  the  "beautiful  river"  which  touches  Ohio  for 
four  hundred  and  seventy  miles.  Sixty  years  ago 
a  vast  forest  covered  almost  the  entire  country 
between  Virginia  and  Lake  Erie.  Now  it  has  a 
population  of  more  than  three  miUions  and  up- 
wards of  fifteen  milhon  acres  of  cultivated  land. 


44  LIFE  IN   THE  WILDS   OF  AMERICA, 


CHAPTEE  III. 

Navigation  of  the  Upper  Ohio — Scenery — Blennerhassett  Island — The 
Character  of  Aaron  Burr — Arrival  at  Cincinnati — The  City  as  it  was 
and  as  it  is — The  Great  Southern  Railroad. 

The  steamers  that  ascend  the  Ohio  to  Pittsburgh, 
the  head  of  navigation,  are  mostly  hght  draught 
boats,  from  seventeen  inches  to  two  or  three  feet 
draught,  and  with  a  capacity  of  from  four  hundred 
to  five  hundred  tons,  with  good  passage  accommo- 
dations. Many  are  built  with  a  view  to  making 
quick  time,  so  as  to  compete  with  the  railroads, 
and  these  steamers  excel  those  of  former  days  in 
capacity,  comfort,  speed  and  safety. 

The  fastest  boat  on  the  upper  Ohio  is  the  "Buck- 
eye State,"  which  has  made  the  distance  from  Cin- 
cinnati to  Pittsburgh — about  five  hundred  miles — 
in  forty- three  hours.  The  usual  time  for  making 
the  trip  is  from  two  to  three  days.  The  average 
speed  of  passenger  packets,  w^hen  in  running  trim, 
is  ten  miles  per  hour,  against  the  stream,  which  is 
an  advance  of  the  speed  of  the  first  steamer  on  the 
river — the  "New  Orleans,"  which  was  built  at 
Pittsburgh  by  Fulton  in  1811,  and  which  by  tre- 
mendous puffing  and  asthmatic  wheezing  ran  at  the 
then  astonishing  rate  of  four  miles  an  hour.  These 
boats  are  often  chosen  for  tours,  excursions  and  bridal 
trips,  and  one  may  meet  on  board  the  most  agreea- 
ble people  and  enjoy  all  the  refinements  and  ele- 
gance common  to  first-class  hotels.     The  trip  on. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  45 

the  "  Fleetwood  "  was  delightful  from  the  hour  of 
departure  to  our  arrival  in  Cincinnati. 

The  scenery  along  the  river,  upon  both  sides,  is 
for  the  greater  part  picturesque,  interesting,  and 
often  beautiful.  Here  a  bluff  that  overhangs  the 
w^aters,  there  a  shelving  bank  of  easy  ascent, 
crowned  wdth  stately  trees;  cultivated  and  fertile 
lands,  rich  with  the  golden  harvest ;  now  a  grand  old 
tree  stands  sole  monarch  of  the  field, — its  gigantic 
trunk  twined  with  the  verdant  vine,  a  fragile  crea- 
ture, sheltered  by  the  powerful  arms  of  a  forest 
giant;  a  copse  amid  whose  branches  are  birds — 
some  of  beautiful  plumage,  some  of  song;  thriving 
villages,  rural  hamlets  and  the  lone  cottage  on  the 
river's  bank;  while  in  the  back- ground  of  the  pic- 
ture rise  grand  old  hills  on  either  side,  upon  whose 
summits  are  palatial  homes,  of  various  architectu- 
ral styles,  half  hidden  by  the  trees;  now  in  the 
distance  having  the  semblance  of  castles  of  olden 
times,  with  turrets,  towers  and  battlements,  and 
now  a  modest  cottage  with  vineyards  of  great 
extent,  just  putting  forth  their  tiny  leaflets. 

We  pass  httle  boats  of  fishermen,  and  ferry  boats 
of  primitive  style ;  an  upward-bound  steamer,  that 
exchanges  comphments  with  us  by  shrilly  shrieks 
that  echo  among  the  distant  hills;  drifting  logs, 
against  the  near  approach  of  which  the  pilot  must 
be  vigilant;  a  coal-barge  wreck;  little  islands 
clothed  with  verdure ;  persons  upon  the  banks  sig- 
naling our  passengers, —  all  a  seemingly  moving 
panorama  of  interest  and  beauty,  as  our  steamer 
glides  swiftly  on. 

The  high  stage  of  water  was  favorable  for  a  quick 


46  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

passage,  for  on  this  river  obstructions  to  navigation 
are  numerous.  In  winter  the  boats  are  generally- 
frozen  in  for  about  two  months,  and  quite  a  num- 
ber are  lost  by  being  crushed  when  the  ice  gorge 
breaks.  In  summer  the  water  is  often  so  shallow,, 
that  in  places  it  is  only  fifteen  inches  deep,  but  by 
the  rains  of  autumn,  as  by  the  melting  snow^s  of 
early  spring,  the  river  is  swollen  to  a  depth  of  fifty 
or  sixty  feet.  The  channel  is  continually  shifting,, 
forming  new  points  and  new  islands,  the  former  by 
washing  away  the  shores,  and  the  latter  by,  the 
accumulated  deposits  during  freshets.  Other  ob- 
structions are  snags,  wrecks,  logs,  etc.,  in  the 
channel.  These  it  is  the  business  of  a  wrecking 
company  under  the  direction  of  government  inspec- 
tors to  remove,  and  also  to  fix  hghts  and  buoys  at 
dangerous  points.  The  government  has  at  times 
constructed  wing-dams  for  deepening  the  waters  in 
shallow  places,  and  most  admirable  contrivances 
these  are,  in  the  esteem  of  river  navigators.  One 
of  the  greatest  obstructions  to  navigation  on  the 
Ohio  are  the  bridges,  by  which  it  is  spanned  at 
numerous  points  along  its  entire  length.  Draw 
bridges  have  been  tried  in  several  instances,  but 
these  are  not  favored  by  either  steamboat  or  rail- 
way management.  The  expense  of  a  bridge  is  of 
course  immense,  if  built  high  enough  to  allow  the 
largest  steamboats  to  pass  under  it  at  the  time  of 
the  highest  water.  The  bridge  connecting  Cincin- 
nati with  Newport  was  raised  thirty  feet  above  its 
original  height  at  a  cost  of  several  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars. 
In  the  Ohio  is  an  island,  once  the  charming  home^ 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  47 

of  Blennerhasset  —  an  Irish  gentleman  of  large 
wealth,  luxurious  tastes  and  a  noble,  generous  heart. 
His  wife  was  a  lady  of  high  culture  and  refine- 
ment, with  quahties  of  heart  which  made  her  home 
a  very  paradise.  Here  they  enjoyed  all  that  opu- 
lence could  supply  to  gratify  taste  and  insure  hap- 
piness. The  couple  were  happy  'and  content^ 
respected  and  beloved  of  those  who  knew  them 
best.  At  length  came  to  their  home  Aaron  Burr, 
and  by  his  wily  arts  brought  to  them  utter  ruin,  as 
he  always  did  to  those  who  trusted  him.  The  story 
is  an  old  one,  but  none  the  less  touching  from  oft 
recital. 

And  who  was  iVaron  Burr  ?  Let  us  briefly  ana- 
lyze his  real  character,  concerning  which  there  has 
been  a  diversity  of  pubhc  opinion.  Colonel  Aaron 
Burr  was  not  a  great  man,  but  he  was  a  great  villain. 
He  was  a  daring  speculator,  a  gambler  in  pohtics,  a 
gambler  in  his  amours,  and  a  gambler  in  land,  with 
all  the  coolness,  shrewdness  and  suspicion  of  a 
speculator.  We  are  not  of  those  who  acquit  Burr 
of  having  been  a  traitor,  but  we  vindicate  his  pro- 
ject touching  Mexico,  from  the  fact  that  Spain  and 
the  United  States  were  on  the  brink  of  a  war,  their 
armies  being  within  striking  distance  of  each  other^ 
and  it  was  only  in  case  of  a  collision  that  Burr  was 
to  invade  Mexico,  the  campaign  having  been  actu- 
ally planned  by  General  Wilkinson,  the  comman- 
der-in-chief of  the  American  army.  The  enterprise 
was  therefore  really  laudable,  but  the  public  opinion 
of  that  day  connected  Burr's  project  of  invading 
Mexico  with  a  design  of  separating  the  Western,  or 
''Mississippi  States,"  as  they  were  called,  from  the 


48  LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Atlantic  portion  of  the  American  Union.  It  was 
well  know-n  that  he  had  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  on  the  Ouachita — the  Bastrop  lands — and  it 
was  believed  that  the  emigrants  who  colonized  that 
land  were  really  designed  not  to  act  against  Mexico, 
but  to  accomplish  a  project  for  overturning  the 
Union  of  States.  The  Bastrop  purchase  w^as  then 
regarded  as  a  ruse  de  guerre.  But  at  the  present 
time  it  is  doubtful,  so  artfully  did  Burr  concoct  his 
scheme,  if  this  purchase  was  merely  one  of  his  num- 
erous land  speculations,  or  if  it  w^as  really  designed 
for  the  purpose  we  have  mentioned.  The  acquittal 
of  Burr  when  tried  for  treason,  at  Eichmond, 
amounts  to  nothing,  for  under  the  ruhng  of  Judge 
Marshall,  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  the 
jury  could  not  convict  the  prisoner,  and  they  said 
as  much. in  their  verdict. 

Judge  Marshall  knew^  the  hatred  felt  by  President 
Jefferson  for  Burr,  and  as  he  himself  hated  Jeffer- 
son with  a  bitterness  known  only  to  Virginian 
pohticians  of  that  day,  there  is  no  doubt  that  he 
strained  the  law  to  suit  his  own  personal  and  pohti- 
cal  views.  To  accompHsh  this  end  he  seized  upon 
the  fact  that  Burr  was  not  actually  and  personally 
present  at  the  very  place  where  the  expedition  was 
organized,  and  where  it  was  laid  in  the  bill  of 
indictment,  to  charge  that  such  being  the  fact, 
they  should  acquit  the  prisoner.  The  charge  of 
Judge  Marshall  gave  great  offence,  not  only  to  the 
President,  but  the  Senate  flamed  with  indignation, 
and  John  Quincy  Adams,  then  a  Senator,  intro- 
duced resolutions  remedying  that  defect  in  our 
laws,  and  making  a  conspirator  guilty,  absent  or 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  49 

present,  at  the  scene  of  operations.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  jury  returned  a  defective  verdict, 
that  Burr  immediately  demanded  a  verdict  of 
^'guilty  or  not  guilty,"  and  that  on  this  demand 
the  jury  rendered  a  verdict  of  "  not  guilty,"  in 
accordance  with  the  imphed  instructions  of  the 
presiding  judge.     In  fact  the  trial  was  aU  a  farce. 

While  it  is  not  absolutely  certain  that  Burr  was 
guilty  of  treason,  those  who  knew  him  best  be- 
lieved it  of  him.  One  thing  is  certain,  that  he  was 
utterly  devoid  of  integrity;  and  the  few  persons 
who  remained  attached  to  him  during  his  life  were 
men  not  above  suspicion  themselves.  Aaron  Burr 
was  destitute  of  honor.  Washington  doubted  his 
integrity  and  discharged  him  from  his  military 
family.  Jeiferson  detected  him  as  a  traitor  and 
dishonest  schemer.  John  Eandoph,  foreman  of 
the  jury,  hated  him,  and  in  fact  every  man  of  char- 
acter, every  man  of  honor  and  honesty  who  had 
the  slightest  dealings  with  Colonel  Aaron  Burr,  as 
in  the  case  of  Jackson  during  his  presidency, 
shunned  his  society  and  doubted  his  integrity. 
And  even  in  his  latter  days,  when  by  prudence  and 
manly  pride,  he  might  have  restored  himself  to  the 
good  opinion  of  the  society  which  had  discarded 
him,  he  was  so  deficient  in  self-respect  that  he  en- 
deavored to  converse  with  Henry  Clay,  when  this 
gentleman  had  a  public  reception  in  New  York  on 
his  return  from  Ghent,  after  the  latter  had  declined 
to  take  his  hand,  and  he  meanly  begged  the  favor 
of  a  private  interview. 

What  can  we  say  of  such  a  man,  except  that  he 
was  destitute  of  character,  honor  or  pride? 

4 


50 

Burr's  appearance  was  striking  from  contrast 
with  every  one  around  him,  for  he  wore  his  hair 
in  a  queue,  and  was  dressed  in  small  clothes.  His 
height  was  ahout  -^Ye  feet  six  inches,  his  figure  well 
made  and  well  knit,  and  his  face  very  intellectual, 
having  the  Koman  features  well  defined.  His  air 
and  bearing  was  that  of  perfect  indifference  to  every 
thing  around  him. 

Since  the  days  of  Jefferson,  the  puhhc  opinion 
has  greatly  softened  toward  Colonel  Burr.  The 
loss  of  his  daughter,  the  truly  beautiful,  gifted  and 
good  Theodosia,  wife  of  Governor  Alston,  of  South 
Carohna,  by  a  tragical  death  at  sea,  for  she  was 
supposed  to  have  been  compelled  to  "walk  the 
plank,"  when  the  pilot  boat  "Eose  in  Bloom  "was 
captured  by  pirates  on  her  voyage  from  Charleston 
to  New  York,  when  added  to  the  outburst  of  indig- 
nation which  assailed  him  everywhere,  all  over  the 
country,  seemed  to  be  too  much  for  human  endur- 
ance, and  would  have  broken  the  heart  of  thousands 
of  men. 

But  Burr  was  a  man  of  iron.  It  is  impossible  to 
read  his  journal  without  being  astonished  at  his 
fortitude,  his  indifference  and  endurance  of  every 
kind  of  indignity  when  he  was  actually  skulking 
about  the  streets  of  Paris.  He  tells  us  how  he  was 
compelled  to  change  his  usual  route  when  walking 
the  streets,  because  he  owed  an  old  woman  three  or 
four  sous  for  cigars.  Driven  from  London  by  the 
British  ministry,  he  went  to  Paris.  Driven  from 
Paris  by  the  French  minister,  he  wanders  to  the 
Hague,  and  here  he  suddenly  turns  up  the  owner  of 
thousands,  won  by  some  lucky  speculation. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  51 

Such  was  Col.  Aaron  Burr,  an  officer  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary army,  of  acknowledged  abihty,  a  lawyer  of 
distinguished  talents,  Vice  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  filhng  the  position  with  the  highest 
respect  of  the  Senate  over  which  he  presided  dur- 
ing the  first  four  years  of  Jefferson's  administration, 
and  enjoying  the  friendship  of  the  most  eminent 
men  of  the  pohtical  party  which  governed  this  coun- 
try for  half  a  century. 

Burr  commonly  wrote  his  letters  in  cypher,  and 
he  traveled  under  assumed  names,  when  both  alter- 
natives were  a  needless  exaggeration  either  of  his- 
personal  risk,  or  his  importance.  The  incognito  he 
strove  to  maintain  on  landing  at  Boston,  and  his. 
disguised  method  of  coming  thence  to  New  York, 
after  his  long  exile  in  Europe,  are  in  ludicrous  con- 
trast to  the  pubhc  indifi'erence  when,  ten  days  after, 
he  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  in  the  city,  en- 
tered with  such  melodramatic  privacy.  It  was  this 
mystery,  this  suspicion,  this  behef  in  the  vilhany  of 
mankind,  which  caused  the  world  to  visit  him  with 
his  own  judgment. 

But  the  steamer  sounds  the  signal  of  near  ap- 
proach to  the  city,  the  Hghts  of  which  now  ghmmer 
in  the  streets,  and  upon  the  landing.  On  our  left  is 
Newport  and  her  sister  city  of  Covington.  The 
bustle  on  deck  denotes  that  the  men  are  preparing 
to  ^'  make  fast ;"  and  now  we  have  reached  the  shore 
of  the  good  old  city  of  Cincinnati. 

During  the  visit  of  Charles  Dickens  to  this  coun- 
try, in  1842,  he  wrote  of  Cincinnati :  "  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful city,  cheerful,  thriving  and  animated.  I  have 
not  often   seen  a  place  that  commends  itself   so 


52 

favorably  and  pleasantly  to  a  stranger  at  the  first 
glance,  as  this  does;  with  its  clean  houses  of  red 
and  white,  its  well  paved  roads  and  foot- ways  of  red 
tile.  Nor  does  it  become  less  preposessing  on  a 
closer  acquaintance.  The  streets  are  broad  and 
airy,  the  shops  extremely  good,  the  private  resi- 
dences remarkable  for  their  elegance  and  neatness. 
There  is  something  of  invention  and  fancy  in  the 
varying  styles  of  these  latter  creations,  which  after 
the  dull  company  of  the  steamboat  is  perfectly 
delightful.  The  disposition  to  ornament  these 
pretty  villas  and  render  them  attractive,  leads  to 
the  culture  of  trees  and  flowers  and  the  laying  out 
of  well-kept  gardens,  the  sight  of  which  to  those 
who  walk  along  the  streets  is  inexpressibly  refresh- 
ing and  agreeable.  I  was  quite  charmed  with  the 
appearance  of  the  town  and  its  adjoining  suburb  of 
Mount  Auburn,  from  which  the  city,  lying  in  an 
amphitheatre  of  hills,  forms  a  picture  of  remarka- 
ble beauty,  and  is  seen  to  great  advantage.  The 
inhabitants  of  Cincinnati  are  proud  of  their  city  as 
one  of  the  most  interesting  in  America,  and  with 
good  reason,  for  beautiful  and  thriving  as  it  is  now, 
and  containing  as  it  does  a  population  of  50,000 
souls,  but  two-and-fifty  years  have  passed  away 
since  the  ground  on  which  it  stands — bought  at 
that  time  for  a  few  dollars — was  a  wild- wood,  and 
its  citizens  were  but  a  handful  of  dwellers  in  scat- 
tered log-huts  upon  the  river's  shore." 

Of  the  beautiful  gardens  of  which  Dickens  wrote, 
few  remain  within  the  city's  old  boundaries,  but 
every  hillside  and  summit  is  crowned  with  the  most 
inviting  homes,  and  adorned  with  lovely  gardens ; 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  53 

a  large  portion  of  the  city's  area  then  occupied  as 
residence  property,  has  been  monopohzed  by  busi- 
ness,  which  year  after  year  becomes  more  impera- 
tive and  pressing  in  its  demands — crowding  dwellers 
backward,  tearing  down  old  homesteads,  levehng 
pretty  gardens,  but  giving  in  place  thereof  lofty 
and  spacious  edifices  for  trade  and  manufactures; 
and  it  requires  no  stretch  of  imagination  to  beheve 
that  within  the  next  thirty  years  the  land  extend- 
ing from  the  base  of  the  hills  that  enclose  the  city, 
to  the  river,  will  be  chiefly  occupied  in  like  manner. 

Our  drive  through  the  charming  environs,  and 
more  especially  through  the  dehghtful  villages  of 
Chfton  and  Avondale,  left  in  the  mind  the  most 
lovely  pictures  for  pleasant  memories  and  compari- 
sons. Clifton — which  has  not  yet  lost  its  individu- 
ahty  by  incorporation  with  the  great  city,  as  Mount 
Auburn  and  several  other  neighboring  villages  have 
done — is  built  upon  the  highlands  in  proximity  to 
the  city,  and  yet  sufficiently  remote  to  insure  pure 
air  and  entire  freedom  from  the  city's  din.  Its 
natural  beauty,  and  the  evidences  of  taste  and 
refinement  that  burst  upon  the  view  on  every  side 
cannot  fail  to  delight  the  visitor,  who  should  take 
ample  time  to  explore  its  beautiful  avenues  and 
lovely  grounds,  and  view  the  many  elegant  man- 
sions, charming  villas  and  pretty  cottages,  that  con- 
stitute the  village.  The  grounds  of  nearly  every 
residence  are  spacious  and  elegant  in  their  culture 
and  decoration. 

The  view  of  Cincinnati  from  Mount  Auburn — a 
lovely  little  eyrie  upon  an  elevated  plateau — affords 
an  idea  of  its  compactness  and  its  business  facili- 


54  LIFE    IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

ties.  One  can  readily  believe  as  he  looks  down 
upon  the  city  and  the  eye  follows  the  range  of 
buildings  stretching  far  to  the  westward,  that  the 
claim  of  her  citizens  to  a  population  of  nearly 
350,000,  is  not  exaggerated ;  but  the  atmosphere  over 
the  city,  at  any  season  of  the  year,  is  so  laden  with 
clouds  of  dust  and  smoke  that  its  buildings  do  not 
appear  to  possess  that  whiteness  and  cleanliness 
for  which  Dickens  gave  credit  to  those  he  looked 
down  upon. 

The  view  of  the  river,  from  this  point,  is  delight- 
ful as  it  winds  its  course  between  the  verdure 
crowned  hills  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  dotted  here 
and  there  by  a  steamer,  a  tug-boat,  or  a  fleet  of 
coal-barges.  At  the  levee,  or  "public  landing"  are 
a  few  steamers,  loading  and  discharging  freight,  and 
several  more  on  board  of  which  there  is  httle  indi- 
cation of  business.  Travehng  by  steamer  up  or 
down  the  Ohio  is  certainly  dehghtful  to  those  who 
enjoy  interesting  natural  scenery  and  can  afford  the 
time,  but  there  are  few  business  people  who  do  not 
prefer  a  speed  of  thirty  or  forty  miles  an  hour  to  ten 
or  twelve,  when  every  hour  is  precious,  so  the  pas- 
senger-trade on  the  river  has  fallen  off  and  is  year 
by  year  becoming  less. 

From  our  point  of  view,  we  look  down  upon  Cov- 
ington and  Newport,  and  listen  to  the  music  of  the 
band  that  reaches  us  from  the  military  post  of  the 
latter  city. 

Passing  down  the  hill  from  Mt.  Auburn — upon 
which  there  is  an  incline  railway — we  leave  scenes 
of  beauty  to  find  those  of  greater  interest  to  busi- 
ness men. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  55 

The  public  parks,  of  which,  there  are  several,  are 
spacious,  beautifully  laid  out  and  attractively 
adorned ;  Eden,  Lincoln,  and  Washington  are  the 
favorite  oases  of  this  busy  city.  There  are  few  cities 
so  highly  favored  with  dehghtful  drives  and  perfect 
road-ways.  The  macadamised  avenue  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  city  is  a  favorite  resort  on  a  sum- 
mer's evening,  especially  for  those  who  drive  fine 
horses.  A  drive  to  Clifton,  Avondale,  College-Hill, 
Walnut  Hills,  the  Grandin  Koad,  the  Eiver  Koad — 
anywhere  in  the  charming  suburbs  is  exceedingly 
agreeable ;  the  extensive  vineyards,  the  numberless 
gardens  seeming  to  vie  with  each  other  in  pro- 
ductiveness, beauty  and  fragrance,  the  palatial  resi- 
dences with  pretty  lawns,  variety  of  shade  trees  and 
flowering  shrubs,  grassy  slopes  and  terraces,  wild- 
wood  groves,  hedges,  paths,  hills  and  streams — all 
scenes  of  such  beauty  as  cannot  fail  to  impress  the 
visitor  most  favorably  and  assure  him  of  the  general 
thrift,  taste  and  culture  of  the  people  of  Cincinnati. 

The  Industrial  Exposition,  which  has  become  an 
established  institution,  is  increasing  in  its  attrac- 
tions with  every  passing  year.  Cincinnati  is  em- 
phatically a  manufacturing  city.  Its  many  facto- 
ries, foundries,  and  workshops  employ  thousands  of 
workmen  and  represent  many  millions  of  invested 
capital.  The  opening  of  the  great  Southern  Kail- 
road  was  a  grand  event  for  Cincinnati.  The  coal 
fields  of  Alabama  alone  are  calculated  to  yield 
thirty- two  and  a  half  billions  of  tons.  More  than 
enough  to  supply  the  entire  world,  at  the  present 
rate  of  consumption,  for  two  thousand  years !  The 
brown  hematite  ores  in  the  northwest  of  the  State, 


56 

in  juxtaposition  with  the  pure,  hard  bituminous 
coals  of  the  Warrior  field,  and  the  red  and  brown 
hematites  of  Central  Alabama,  adjacent  to  the  Ca- 
haba  coal,  justifies  the  prediction  that  this  State 
alone  will  in  the  future  produce  annually  more  iron 
than  is  now  made  in  England,  Scotland  and  Wales- 
combined,  and  at  less  cost.  Tennessee  has  more 
coal  than  Alabama,  with  iron  ore  in  close  proximity,, 
superior  in  quality  and  inexhaustible  in  quantity; 
Kentucky  and  Virginia  each  have  more  coal  than 
Tennessee  and  Alabama  *  together,  and  more  than 
England,  Wales  and  Scotland  ever  had,  and  a  larger 
area  of  coal  than  the  great  coal-producing  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  while  their  ores  are  rich  and  abund- 
ant. How  wise  and  far-seeing  was  it  in  Cincinnati 
to  project  the  Southern  Eailroad  into  this  incalcul- 
ably rich  region,  and  offer  her  own  subscription  of 
ten  millions  of  dollars  toward  its  construction.  It 
is  the  most  magnificent  prize  that  any  city  ever  at- 
tempted to  win. 

"  Starting  at  Cincinnati,  it  passes  through  seven 
successive  counties  in  the  very  heart  of  Kentucky^ 
and  through  her  very  best  coal  field,  crossing  the 
Cumberland  river  at  the  mouth  of  the  South  Fork, 
in  the  midst  of  the  very  choicest  iron  making  coals 
of  Kentucky,  and  her  richest  lumber  and  iron  ore 
region,  and  pushing  southward  further,  it  taps  the 
vast  coal  centre  and  iron  region  of  Tennessee,  Ala- 
bama and  Georgia  at  Chattanooga,  thus  invading- 
the  mineral  and  lumber  magazines  of  the  South. 
This  road  will  drain  a  belt  at  least  ten  miles  wide, 
on  either  side,  for  its  entire  length — it  would  proba- 
bly be  nearer  the  mark  to  say  that  with  its  branches. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  57 

it  will  drain  twenty  miles  on  either  side — and  the 
bulk  of  this  trade  will  go  to  Cincinnati.  Along  the 
trade  belt  of  this  road,  immigration  wdll  swarm. 
Germans,  Irish,  Welsh,  Scotch,  will  push  south- 
ward through  Cincinnati,  and  the  products  of  their 
labor  wall  reach  that  city  by  direct  and  cheap  trans- 
portation." 

On  West  Fourth  Street,  we  saw  the  old  residence 
of  Capt.  C.  F.  Hall,  the  Arctic  navigator.  It  is  a 
very  plain  structure  on  the  north  side  of  the  street, 
between  Main  and  Walnut.  Capt.  Hall,  during  his 
residence  here,  established  a  daily  newspaper — the 
*' Penny  Press,"  but  like  many  another  newspaper 
man  failed  to  find  the  enterprise  profitable,  and  the 
publication  w^as  soon  discontinued.  A  short  dis- 
tance from  Capt.  Hall's  residence  was  the  law-office 
of  Hon.  Thomas  Corwin,  whom  none  who  ever 
knew  him  will  ever  forget.  "  Tom  Corwin,"  as 
everybody  called  him,  was  the  best  "stump  speaker  " 
in  America,  and  the  only  one  whom  Henry  Clay 
confessed  to  finding  a  pow^erful  antagonist  and  had 
a  dread  of  meeting  in  debate. 

The  educational  institutions,  fire  department, 
news  journals,  public  library,  theatres,  and  other  in- 
stitutions of  Cincinnati  are  equal  in  excellence  to 
those  of  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  world. 


-58  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

A  Trip   Down  the  Kiver — Burial  Place   of   President   Harrison — The 
Wonders  of  Mammoth  Cave. 

At  noon  on  the  loveliest  day  of  the  season,  we 
proceeded  to  the  pubhc  landing  to  take  passage  on 
board  the  steamer  "United  States,"  for  Louisville. 
We  arrived  at  the  landing  just  in  season,  although 
it  seemed  from  the  great  amount  of  merchandise 
yet  to  be  carried  on  board,  that  we  should  be  de- 
tained for  hours.  Our  carriage  went  sliding  side- 
wise  down  the  steep  bank,  at  the  imminent  risk  of 
overturning  into  the  water,  but  the  driver  under- 
stood his  business  too  well  for  that,  and  we  were 
soon  on  deck  of  one  of  the  finest  steamers  on  the 
river ;  the  work  of  receiving  freight  of  all  sorts  went 
briskly  on  in  the  most  primitive  manner,  all  being 
done  by  the  strong  arms  of  men  without  the  aid  of 
machinery,  and  at  the  moment  announced  for 
leaving,  all  was  completed;  the  signal  was  given, 
the  lines  cast  off,  and  the  steamer  started  on  her 
trip  down  the  river,  with  a  reasonable  prospect  of 
reaching  Louisville  at  an  early  hour  in  the  evening. 

The  time  made  in  1818,  by  the  General  Pike,  which 
was  then  considered  an  unrivalled  specimen  of  river 
craft,  in  coming  from  Louisville  to  Cincinnati,  a 
distance  of  150  miles,  was  one  day  and  sixteen 
hours.  The  General  Lytle,  which  has  since  ex- 
ploded, made  the  same  distance  a  few  years  ago, 
in  six  hours   and  fifteen  minutes.     The  steamer 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  59 

United  States  makes  it  every  day  in  seven  hours, 
including  the  time  occupied  in  eight  or  ten  land- 
ings on  the  way.  Formerly  the  largest  boats  were 
only  of  200  or  300  tons,  while  now  they  have  a  ton- 
nage of  1,300  to  1,600.  Cincinnati  is  interested 
in  river  trade  to  the  extent  of  about  ten  millions  of 
dollars  annually.  Lines  of  packets  run  from  here 
to  New  Orleans,  Memphis  and  other  points  on 
the  Mississippi.  The  hne  to  St.  Louis  has  been 
abandoned,  owing  to  railroad  competition,  but  will 
probably  be  restored.  There  was  formerly  a  line 
from  Cincinnati  to  the  Eed  River,  but  this  has  been 
withdrawn.  Old  lines  are  from  time  to  time  dropped 
and  new  ones  estabhshed.  The  steamboat  interest 
in  this  country  is  immense.  The  total  valuation  of 
steamers  belonging  to  the  United  States,  is  now 
seven  hundred  miUion  doUars.  In  the  West,  St. 
Louis  takes  the  lead,  with  Cincinnati  next.  Steam 
navigation  in  the  West  has  been  attended  with 
many  disasters,  but  these  are  diminishing  every 
year,  owing  to  the  introduction  of  safety  appliances 
of  various  kinds. 

The  river  rises  here  about  fifty  feet,  at  some  sea- 
sons of  the  year,  but  in  summer  is  often  only  two 
or  three  feet  deep,  consequently  the  passenger 
packets  are  constructed  for  side-wheel  or  stern- 
wheel  steamers  of  light  draught. 

Among  the  passengers  was  a  large  and  portly  gen- 
tleman— a  backwoods  Yankee — who  seemed  to  be 
very  greatly  distressed  in  mind.  If  a  man  has  any 
social  qualities  worth  mentioning,  the  deck  of  a 
steamer  is  the  place  of  all  others  to  disclose  the 
fact.     I  formed  the  opinion  that  our  fellow  passen- 


60  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

ger  of  avoirdupois  extraordinary  was  the  most  un- 
social being  I  had  ever  met,  when  I  observed  his. 
curt  manner  toward  those  w^ho  would  have  engaged 
him  in  conversation  and  caused  him  to  forget  his 
troubles,  at  least  for  the  hour.  When  those  so 
repulsed  turned  away  from  him,  he  approached  me, 
and  then  I  observed  that  he  had  two  hfe-preservers- 
on — one  about  his  neck,  and  the  other  about  his- 
waist  —  which  ornamentation  did  not  enhance  his 
personal  attractions,  if  he  had  any.  The  idea  of 
such  extraordinary  precautions  at  noon  day,  on 
board  a  staunch  steamer  upon  a  river  so  shallow 
that  the  boat  could  httle  more  than  "  rub  and  go," 
was  simply  ridiculous. 

"  Do  you  think  anything  '11  happen  ?"  he  asked, 
in  a  tone  of  anxiety,  but  as  I  was  at  a  loss  to  com- 
prehend his  meaning,  he  added  —  ''Anything  '11 
bust  ?"  I  rather  thought  not,  as  the  straps  about 
his  waist  seemed  to  be  quite  secure,  however  I 
examined  them. 

"  I  don't  mean  these  things — I  mean  the  biler.. 
Is  there  any  immediate  danger  ?"  Again  I  could 
not  see  any  evidence  of  peril. 

"Ah,  I  thank  you,"  said  he,  breathing  a  sigh  of 
rehef,  and  the  cloud  disappeared  from  his  round 
and  rosy  face,  which  now  beamed  hke  the  rising- 
sun.  His  mental  agony  had  been  the  fear  that 
"  something  would  bust,"  and  the  consohng  assur- 
ance of  safety  was  as  prolific  of  good  as  any  chari- 
table thing  could  be. 

"  I  always  wear  these  preservers  when  on  the 
water,  for  you  see  accidents  might  happen — some- 
thing might  bust,  and  it  would  be  dreadful  to  be- 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  61 

compelled  to  leap  overboard  unprotected,  you 
know."  I  knew^;  but  notwithstanding  my  assur- 
ances of  safety,  no  sooner  did  the  steamer  attempt 
to  make  a  landing  anywhere,  and  sound  her  shrilly 
signal,  than  my  ponderous  friend  would  start  to 
his  feet,  frantic  with  alarm,  exclaiming — 

"  There  it  goes !  I  knew  it  would !  Beg  pardon, 
I  knew  you  were  wrong.  Something's  bust !"  And 
not  till  we  were  on  our  way  again  were  his  fears 
quieted.  During  the  entire  trip,  something  was 
going  to  "  bust,"  or  had  "  busted." 

The  view  from  the  steamer's  deck  is  dehghtful. 
On  the  left  rise  the  green  hills  of  Kentucky,  at 
whose  base  are  giant  trees  skirting  the  shore  and 
half  concealing  the  fishermen's  cabins,  and  on  the 
right  are  extensive  vineyards  w^hich  promise  purple 
clusters  in  great  abundance. 

On  the  Ohio  shore,  in  an  old  neglected  cemetery, 
is  the  grave  of  President  Harrison,  with  neither 
monument  nor  headstone,  and  overgrown  with  rank 
verdure.  Surely  such  neglect  is  very  far  from  being 
creditable  to  a  great  people  whom  the  old  hero  and 
patriot  long  served  so  nobly  and  so  well.  A  suita- 
ble monument  upon  the  spot  would  attract  the  eye 
and  win  a  tribute  from  the  thousands  who  pass  up 
and  down  the  river. 

The  next  day  after  our  arrival  at  Louisville,  we 
directed  our  course  to  the  locality  of  the  Mammoth 
Cave,  which  we  explored  as  thousands  from  both 
sides  of  the  water  do  every  summer,  as  hundreds 
of  thousands  have  done,  to  wonder  at  its  immensity 
and  its  features. 

On  the  border  of  an  unproductive  tract  of  land 


62  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF    AMEEICA, 

known  as  the  Barrens,  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Kentucky,  upon  Green  Eiver,  in  a  corner  of  Edmon- 
son County,  about  one  hundred  miles  from  Louis- 
ville and  sixty  from  Harrodsburg  Springs,  gapes 
the  gloomy  door  of  the  largest  underground  terri- 
tory in  the  world. 

It  contams,  according  to  the  best  authorities,  two 
hundred  and  twenty-six  avenues,  forty-seven  domes, 
numerous  rivers,  eight  cataracts,  and  twenty- three 
pits.  The  aggregate  length  of  the  various  corri- 
dors is  estimated  at  several  hundred  miles.  Those 
w^ho  propose  a  journey  thither -must  be  prepared  for 
"rough,  uneven  ways,  that  draw  out  the  miles  and 
make  them  wearisome;"  the  Barrens  being  simply 
a  vast  reach  of  rolhng  knobs  and  hills,  once  bare 
and  profitless  prairies,  but  now  overgrown  by  dwarf 
oaks  and  beeches,  together  with  such  vines  and 
shrubs  as  are  capable  of  rooting  themselves  in 
baked  and  dewless  earth. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  cave  a 
more  agreeable  aspect  of  things  is  presented — green 
park- like  openings — also  patches  of  fine  wood-land, 
hickory,  chestnut,  and  elm ;  and  in  Cave  Hollow,  a. 
ravine  widening  into  a  dehghtful  vaUey,  the  scenery 
becomes  exceedingly  beautiful. 

This  valley  is  bounded  by  rocky  walls,  capped 
with  sand  stone,  precipitous  in  parts,  in  parts  piled 
in  loose  masses,  along  the  base  of  which  grow  wal- 
nuts, catalpas,  pawpaws,  and  maples ;  while  rooted 
among  the  rocks,  and  clambering  over  them,  are 
weeds,  brambles,  and  flowers,  of  briUiant  colors  and 
wild  luxuriance  of  growth. 

Mammoth  Cave  was  discovered  by  a  hunter  in 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST. 


63 


1809,  and  two  years  later  saltpetre  works  were 
established  within  it.  The  war  of  1812  cut  off  the 
foreign  supply  of  this  article  and  increased  the 
demand  in  this  country ;  business  within  the  cave 
was  very  brisk  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  the 
works  were  abandoned. 

It  is  believed  that  the  formation  of  the  Cave  was 
due  to  the  chemical  and  mechanical  action  of  water 
upon  certain  earthy  substances  below  the  surface. 
Limestone,  chemically  known  as  carbonate  of  hme, 
through  which  the  whole  course  of  the  cave  is 
located,  is  insoluble  in  pure  water,  but  is  soluble  to 
a  degree  in  water  charged  with  carbonic  acid  gas. 
Every  one  is  famihar  with  the  phenomena  of  hill- 
side springs,  and  is  aware  of  the  fact  that  these 
springs  are  produced  by  smaU  streams  of  water  flow- 
ing through  the  crevices  of  rock  and  finding  an  out- 
let. Imagine  such  a  stream  flowing  through  a  hill 
composed  of  salt,  sugar  or  some  other  readily  solu- 
ble material,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  it  would  quickly 
form  for  itself  a  channel  of  considerable  magnitude. 
If  in  addition  to  the  solvent  action  of  the  water,  the 
channel  thus  formed  should  become  the  bed  of  a 
rapid  stream,  the  mechanical  effect  of  the  water 
would  greatly  increase  and  otherwise  modify  the  re- 
sult. If  this  stream  instead  of  passing  through  a 
very  soluble  material,  were  to  pass  through  one  that 
was  soluble  only  to  a  very  shght  extent,  the  final 
result  would  be  the  same,  but  it  would  require  a 
longer  time.  Such  is  the  case  with  the  cave.  The 
constant  trickhng  of  water  strongly  impregnated 
with  carbonic  acid  gas  through  the  crevices  of  the 
rock,  gradually  wore  for  itseK  a  channel  of  sufficient 


LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF    AMEKICA, 


SCENERY  IN  KENTUCKY. 

size  for  the  mechanical  action 
of  the  current  of  water  to  do 
still  greater  execution. 

The  Mammoth  Cave  is  the  dry  bed  of  what  was 
once  a  great  subterranean  river.  Imagine  a  rocky 
river  with  all  its  branches,  its  narrow  places,  where 
the  water  flows  swiftly;  its  broad,  deep  places  where 
the  water  has  a  more  gentle  current;  that  from 
some  cause  the  river  had  been  drained,  and  you 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  65 

have  an  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  cave  when  it 
ceased  to  be  the  bed  of  a  flowing  stream,  and  as  a 
large  portion  of  it  appears  at  the  present  time. 
There  is  a  striking  resemblance  of  portions  of  this 
dry  river  bed  to  Green  River,  of  which  it  was  evi- 
dently once  a  part  and  with  which  it  even  now  com- 
municates. 

The  upper  portions  of  the  cave  were  first  formed, 
and  as  by  the  gradual  lowering  of  the  bed  of  Green 
Biver,  these  became  dry,  the  lower  parts  were  formed, 
and  are  being  formed.  The  changes  that  have 
occurred  within  the  cave  since  it  ceased  to  be 
the  bed  of  a  flowing  stream  are  chiefly  due  to 
chemical  action,  in  the  formation  of  the  pendants 
and  columns  termed  stalactites  and  stalagmites, 
and  the  exquisitely  beautiful  crystalizations  of  sul- 
phate of  lime  or  gypsum  which  occur  in  some  parts 
of  the  cave,  and  also  to  the  falling  of  huge  masses 
of  rock  from  the  walls  and  roof.  Some  of  the  rocks 
evidently  fell  while  the  w^ater  still  flowed  through 
its  avenues,  as  the  rocks  themselves  and  the  greater 
masses  from  which  these  were  detached  are  worn 
smooth  by  the  action  of  the  water.  Other  rocks 
have  fallen  since  and  are  unmarked  by  w^ater.  The 
terminus  of  the  main  cave  is  formed  by  the  falhng 
of  rocks  from  the  roof  that  have  entirely  obstructed 
the  passage. 

Stalactites  are  pendants  from  the  roof,  resembhng 
anUcicle.  The  earth  forming  the  roof  serves  as  a 
filter  for  the  water,  which  slowly  falls  in  drops,  and 
which  being  impregnated  with  carbonic  acid,  dis- 
solves a  quantity  of  the  hme  in  its  passage  through 
it.    As  it  hangs,  a  part  of  the  acid  being  gaseous, 


66  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

escapes,  and  a  corresponding  portion  of  carbonate 
of  lime  is  deposited.  In  the  formation  of  stalac- 
tites, it  is  necessary  that  the  water  should  drop 
very  slowly ;  a  stream,  however  small,  would  utterly 
prevent  the  formation.  Stalagmites  are  exactly  the 
reverse  of  stalactites  in  their  position ;  they  attain 
a  greater  or  lesser  height,  according  to  the  quantity 
of  carbonate  of  hme  which  falls.  These  are  formed 
where  water,  dropping  very  slowly  from  above, 
remains  for  a  short  time  upon  the  floor  ere  it  flows 
away.  In  composition  they  are  identical,  and  are 
often  formed  simultaneously,  the  same  drop  impart- 
ing a  portion  of  its  substance  to  both.  It  will  be 
seen,  therefore,  that  the  process  is  a  very  slow  one. 
There  are  stalactite  columns  in  Mammoth  Cave 
said  to  be  thirty  feet  in  circumference,  that  must 
have  been  formed  as  above  described — first  a  minute 
particle,  then  a  pendant  rod,  then  a  pillar  of  great 
proportions.  The  mind  is  bewildered  in  endeavoring 
to  conceive  the  duration  of  time  necessary  for  the 
growth  of  such  a  mass  in  such  a  manner ;  and  no 
reasoning  being  can  look  upon  one  of  these  ancient 
columns,  and  watch  the  little  drop  of  water  that 
is  f aUing  in  just  the  same  measured  rate  that  other 
drops  have  been  falling  for  thousands  of  years,  and 
not  realize  the  insignificance  of  the  duration  of 
human  hfe,  and  the  instability  of  the  works  of  man, 
compared  with  these  works  of  Nature  and  the  period 
of  their  formation.  Since  the  first  drop  fell,  nations 
have  risen,  attained  their  prime  and  passed  away ; 
the  Mound  Builders  may  have  wondered  at  the 
spectacle  and  vainly  sought  to  compute  the  time 
when  the  first  formative  process  began ;  wars  have 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  67 

desolated  the  fairest  lands;  man  has  plodded  on 
his  way  from  the  cradle  to  the  tomb,  loving, 
hating,  sorrowing  and  rejoicing;  the  most  won- 
derful changes  have  occurred  in  the  history  of 
earth,  and  all  the  ages,  the  centuries  and  milleniums^ 
of  time  requisite  for  all  these  in  Nature's  laboratory 
has  been  forming  the  wondrous  creation — the  sta- 
lactites and  stalagmites  of  this  vast  cavern;  drop 
after  drop,  the  work  has  proceeded,  until  it  has  built 
a  monument  for  time  more  wonderful  than  the  pyra- 
mids. 

During  the  summer,  the  air  constantly  flows  out 
of  the  cave;  during  the  winter  it  flows  in, — the 
phenomena  being  due  to  the  difference  in  tempera- 
ture between  the  external  and  internal  atmosphere.. 
A  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  the 
temperature  is  ever  the  same,  the  thermomotsr 
constantly  standing  at  59  degrees.  Within  tho 
cave,  everything  is  changeless.  Summer  and  win- 
ter, day  and  night  come  and  go,  but  give  no  indi- 
cations of  change.  The  air  is  remarkably  pure, 
with  a  lesser  proportion  of  carbonic  acid  gas  than 
that  of  the  surrounding  country. 

The  entrance  to  the  cave  is  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  hotel,  and  is  reached  by  passing  along 
a  httle,  wild,  rocky  foot-path  only  wide  enough  in 
some  places  for  a  person  to  pass,  across  bridges, 
down  steps  built  of  wood  or  cut  in  the  rock,  through 
dense  timber  and  luxuriant  vegetation  that  over- 
hang and  shade  the  path.  Altogether  it  is  wild 
and  romantic  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  ardent 
admirer  of  nature.  It  may  be  supposed  that  a  path 
trodden  by  two  or  three  thousand  persons  every 


68  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF    AMERICA, 

season  for  many  years,  would  be  worn  broad  and 
smooth,  or  at  least  that  the  undergrowth  would  be 
€ut  away,  but  it  remains  in  its  primitive  wildness, 
and  a  casual  observer  would  imagine  it  but  a  rustic 
way  for  a  few  country  farmers. 

Having  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  the 
guard  furnished  us  with  lighted  lamps,  which  on 
:first  entering,  seemed  wholly  insufficient  for  the 
purpose  designed,  but  after  a  short  time  our  eyes 
became  accustomed  to  the  dim  light,  and  objects 
w^ere  plainly  discernable.  As  we  proceeded,  the 
roof  of  the  cave  became  lower,  and  for  some  dis- 
tance it  was  only  seven  feet  in  height.  Through 
this  part,  the  saltpetre  miners  had  collected  the 
loose  stones  that  encumbered  the  route,  and  used 
them  in  the  erection  of  a  wall  on  each  side,  leaving 
but  a  narrow  passage-way — the  "  Narrows  " — at  the 
termination  of  which  there  are  two  passages  lead- 
ing in  different  directions.  Here  is  the  Kotunda, 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  broad  and  one 
hundred  feet  high, — an  immense  room,  nearly  cir- 
cular with  a  dome-like  ceihng  of  a  single  piece  of 
gray  stone,  on  which  hang  bats  in  great  numbers. 
The  guide  lighted  oiled  paper,  and  we  were  thus 
enabled  to  see  the  dome,  which  receded  almost 
beyond  the  reach  of  vision.  On  either  side,  a  dark, 
mysterious  opening  indicated  the  entrances  to  other 
galleries. 

The  floor  of  the  Eotunda  was  cumbered  with  the 
remains  of  the  wood-work  used  by  the  saltpetre 
miners,  and  altogether  presented  a  desolate  and 
wierd  appearance. 

On  the  right  of  the  Eotunda  is  Audubon's  avenue, 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  69 

which  extends  ahout  half  a  mile,  and  terminates  in 
a  group  of  stalactites.  Taking  the  left  hand  open- 
ing, we  again  entered  the  main  cave,  which  is  here 
ahout  sixty  feet  wide  and  forty  feet  high.  Along  the 
center  were  the  vats  used  by  the  miners.  All  the 
timber  connected  with  these  is  remarkably  sound. 
The  attention  of  the  visitor  is  next  directed  to  the 
Chffs  of  Kentucky  Eiver,  a  large  overhanging  wall 
of  rock  said  to  resemble  those  cliffs.  After  passing 
the  Pigeon  Boxes, — little  niches  in  the  wall,  the 
passage  extends  to  the  width  of  eighty  feet.  The 
"Methodist  Church"  is  next  seen,  the  pulpit  rock 
being  twenty-five  feet  high.  Keligious  services 
have  been  held  here.  Near  this  is  the  Water  Clock 
— a  spring  in  the  wall,  that  keeps  a  constant  drop- 
ping of  water  into  a  pool  below,  with  the  regularity 
of  the  ticking  of  a  clock.  A  little  further  on  we 
ascended  a  flight  of  steps  and  entered  the  Gothic 
Arcade.  The  first  object  that  there  attracts  the  at- 
tention is  a  solitary  large  stalactite,  curiously  gnarled 
and  knotted,  and  called  the  Post  Oak.  The  passage 
is  about  forty  feet  wide,  and  from  eight  to  sixteen 
feet  high.     The  ceiling  is  flat  and  of  a  grayish  color. 

A  portion  of  the  Gothic  Arcade  is  called  the  Reg- 
ister Room — from  the  names  of  visitors  inscribed 
upon  its  walls.  The  patent-medicine  man  has  been 
here  before  us,  for  there  is  the  inscription  "  Take — 
Bitters,"  beneath  which,  some  irreverent  wag  has 
written,  "  And  prepare  for  death." 

The  Register  room  leads  to  the  Gothic  Chapel.. 
This  is  a  room  of  considerable  extent  in  which  there 
are  many  stalactites  of  great  size.  The  room  is. 
grand  and  beautiful. 


70  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

In  the  vicinity  of  Gothic  Chapel  is  the  Blacksmith 
Shop — so  called  from  the  number  of  small  black 
stalagmites  which  cover  the  floor.  Near  by  is 
^'  Bonaparte's  Breastworks,"  a  long  ledge  of  rock 
that  has  been  separated  from  the  wall  and  has  the 
appearance  of  newly  erected  breastworks.  A  little 
beyond  this  is  the  "  Old  Arm  Chair,"  which  consists 
of  a  mass  of  stalactites  and  stalagmites  having,  by 
a  httle  stretch  of  the  imagination,  the  outhnes  of  a 
very  comfortable  chair.  The  back  is  a  httle  stiff, 
and  the  seat  not  at  all  inviting,  but  the  traveler 
must  not  be  too  fastidious.  On  the  left  is  a  curious 
stalagmite,  formed  by  the  dropping  of  water  upon  a 
projecting  point  of  rock  called  the  "  Elephant's 
Head. ' '  A  stalactite  forms  the  trunk,  but  elephant's 
above  and  below  ground  are  quite  unlike  in  appear- 
ance. 

On  the  right,  a  point  of  rock  jutting  out  sixteen 
feet  over  the  brink  of  a  dark  pit  seventy  feet  deep, 
is  known  as  "  Lover's  Leap."  The  fool  has  yet  to 
arrive  who  will  perform  the  exploit  of  leaping  into 
it.  A  narrow,  winding  crevice  in  the  rock,  twenty 
feet  long  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  with  a  steep  decHv- 
ity,  is  called  "  Elbow  Crevice,"  as  it  is  too  narrow 
for  elbow  room.  "  Napoleon's  Dome "  is  formed 
by  a  concave  rock  overhead,  fifty  feet  high  and 
thirty  in  diameter.  Wherever  these  domes  are 
found,  corresponding  cavities  are  found  beneath 
them.  Directly  below  the  "  Blacksmith  Shop  "  is 
the  "Cinder  Pile,"  a  collection  of  the  same  black 
stalagmites  seen  in  the  upper  room ;  these  rest  upon 
a  bed  of  mud.  In  immediate  proximity  to  the  Cin- 
der Pile  is  Lake  Purity — a  shallow  pool  of  clear  and 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  71 

pure  water.  The  Arcade  extends  half  a  mile  further 
— its  length  being  a  mile  and  a  half ;  at  the  termi- 
nus is  a  dome  and  a  cascade. 

We  now  retraced  our  steps  and  re-entered  the 
main  cave — arriving  at  the  "  Grand  Arch. "  Passing 
under  a  long  archway  we  came  to  immense  masses 
of  rock,  standing  on  edge  as  they  had  fallen  from 
above  and  unpleasantly  suggestive  as  we  glanced 
from  them  to  the  roof  and  observed  other  prodig- 
ious rocks,  securely  or  insecurely  imbedded  in  the 
earth,  only  waiting  for  that  other  little  drop  of 
water  to  send  them  thundering  down.  The  floor 
in  which  the  fallen  rocks,  from  eight  to  ten  feet 
high,  are  firmly  cemented,  was  formerly  soft  mud, 
but  this  has  now  become  as  hard  as  the  rocks  them- 
selves. The  prints  of  the  hoofs  of  the  oxen  that  were 
formerly  used  in  the  cave,  the  wheel  tracks  and 
other  marks  are  as  distinct  as  if  made  but  yesterday ; 
so  will  they  remain  for  all  time. 

Upon  the  right  is  the  "  Giant's  Coffin,"  forty  feet 
long,  eight  feet  high,  one  sohd  piece  of  gray  rock, 
having  the  shape  of  a  coffin.  The  visitor  experi- 
ences a  sense  of  awe  and  subhmity  in  gazing  upon 
this  wonderful  formation.  It  rests  upon  an  elevated 
stand;  the  weird  appearance  of  surrounding  objects 
by  the  dim  hght  of  lamps,  illuminating  a  little 
space  in  the  thick  darkness,  the  utter  silence, 
broken  only  by  the  flitting  of  bats  or  the  faUing  of 
grains  of  sand,  the  massive  walls  of  rock  that  closed 
us  in,  all  were  most  impressive. 

At  this  point  we  again  left  the  main  cave.  Pas- 
sing around  the  foot  of  the  ''Coffin"  and  up  the 
other  side,  we  entered  a  very  narrow  aperture  in 


72  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

the  rock  which  led  to  the  ''Deserted  Chamber" 
and  thence  into  the  "Wooden-bowl  Cave."  It  is 
said  that  the  first  white  man  who  ever  entered  the 
latter  cave  found  therein  a  wooden  bowl. 

In  one  of  the  halls  several  mummies  were  long  aga 
found  among  the  recesses  of  the  rock,  and  a  curious 
piece  of  bark-matting,  the  relic  of  some  Indian 
Queen,  perhaps,  is  still  shown.  The  bodies  seemed 
to  have  undergone  no  process  of  embalming,  but 
w^ere  nevertheless,  in  a  perfect  state  of  preserva- 
tion ;  so  dry  is  the  air,  and  so  strongly  impregnated 
with  nitre,  as  to  prevent  decomposition.  What  has 
been  done  with  these  mummies,  I  have  been  unable 
to  ascertain  with  any  certainty.  One  is  reported  to 
be  in  the  British  Museum,  and  another  to  have  been 
burned  up  in  the  Museum  at  Cincinnati. 

An  elaborate  description  of  one  of  these  ancient 
sleepers  has  been  published  by  a  scientific  gentle- 
man who  visited  the  cave  in  1813,  from  which  the 
subjoined  is  an  abridgment :  In  digging  saltpeter 
earth,  a  flat  rock  was  met  with  by  the  workmen,  a 
httle  below  the  earth's  surface;  this  stone  was 
raised,  and  was  about  four  feet  wide  and  as  many 
long;  beneath  it  was  a  square  excavation  about 
three  feet  deep,  and  as  manj^  in  length  and  width. 
In  this  small  subterranean  chamber  sat  in  solemn 
silence  one  of  the  human  species,  a  female,  with  her 
wardrobe  and  ornaments  placed  at  her  side.  The 
body  was  in  perfect  preservation,  and  sitting  erect ; 
the  arms  were  folded  up,  the  hands  laid  across  the 
bosom,  and  the  wrists  were  tied  together  with  a 
small  cord ;  around  the  body  were  wrapped  two  deer- 
skins.    These  skins  appeared  to  have  been  dressed 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  7B 

by  some  mode  with  which  the  present  generation 
is  unacquainted.  The  hair  of  the  skins  was  cut  off 
near  the  surface,  and  the  skins  ornamented  with  the 
imprints  of  vines  and  leaves,  sketched  in  a  sub- 
stance perfectly  white .  Outside  of  this  wrapping  was 
a  large  square  sheet,  either  woven  or  knit.  The  fa- 
bric was  the  inner  bark  of  a  tree,  supposed  to  be  the 
hme-tree.  In  its  texture  and  appearance  it  resem- 
bled the  South  Sea  Islands  matting ;  this  sheet  en- 
veloped the  whole  body.  The  hair  on  the  head  was 
cut  off  within  an  eighth  of  an  inch  of  the  skin,  ex- 
cept near  the  neck,  where  it  was  an  inch  long ;  it 
was  in  color  a  dark  red.  The  teeth  were  white  and 
perfect,  and  no  blemish  on  the  body,  except  a  wound 
between  the  ribs  near  the  back-bone,  and  an  injury 
in  one  of  the  eyes.  The  finger  and  the  toe  nails 
were  perfect,  and  quite  long;  the  features  w^ere 
regular.  The  length  of  the  bones  of  the  arm,  from 
the  elbow  to  the  wrist  joint,  was  ten-and-a-half 
inches.  The  whole  frame  gave  evidence  of  a  figure 
^Ye  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height.  At  the  time  it 
w^as  discovered,  the  body  weighed  but  fourteen 
pounds,  and  was  perfectly  dry;  but  on  being  exposed 
to  the  atmosphere,  it  gained  in  weight,  by  absorb- 
ing dampness,  four  pounds. 

It  has  been  thought  curious  that  so  large  a  body 
should  weigh  so  little,  as  many  human  skeletons  of 
nothing  but  bone,  exceed  this  weight.  Recently, 
however,  some  experiments  made  in  Paris,  have  de- 
monstrated the  fact  of  the  human  body  being  re- 
duced to  ten  pounds,  by  being  exposed  to  a  heated 
atmosphere  for  a  long  period  of  time.  The  color  of 
the  skin  was  dark,  not  black,  and  the  flesh  hard  and 
dry  upon  the  bones. 


74  LIFE   IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

At  the  side  of  the  body  lay  a  pair  of  moccasins, 
a  knapsack,  and  a  reticule.  The  moccasins  were 
made  of  wove  or  knit  bark,  Uke  the  wrapper  I  have 
-described ;  around  the  top  was  a  border  for  strength 
and  ornament.  These  denoted  feet  of  small  size, 
and  differed  but  httle  in  shape  from  the  moccasins 
worn  by  the  Northern  Indians.  The  knapsack  was 
•of  wove,  or  knit  bark,  with  a  deep,  strong  border 
around  the  top,  and  was  about  the  size  of  the  knap- 
sacks used  by  soldiers.  The  workmanship  was  neat, 
and  the  fabric  such  as  would  do  credit  to  a  manu- 
facturer of  the  present  day.  The  reticule  was  also 
made  of  woven  bark,  in  shape  like  a  horseman's 
vahse,  and  opening  its  full  length  on  the  top ;  the 
whole  laced  up  and  secured  by  a  cord  which  passed 
through  loops  attached  to  either  side.  The  edges 
of  the  top  were  strengthened  by  deep,  fancy  bor- 
ders. The  articles  contained  in  the  reticule  and 
knapsack  were  as  follows :  one  head-cap,  made  of 
woven  or  knit  bark,  without  border,  and  of  the 
shape  of  the  plainest  night-cap ;  seven  head-dresses, 
made  of  the  quills  of  large  birds,  and  put  together 
after  the  manner  of  fans,  somewhat  enabling  the 
wearer  to  present  a  beautiful  display  of  feathers. 
These  are  represented  as  very  splendid ;  they  would, 
it  is  said,  form  magnificent  ornaments  for  the  female 
liead  at  the  present  day.  Several  hundred  strings 
of  beads,  consisting  of  hard  seeds,  smaller  than 
hemp-seeds.  They  were  of  a  brown  color,  strung 
on  three-twined  thread,  and  tied  up  in  bunches  as 
.strings  of  coral  beads  are  tied  up  by  merchants. 
The  red  hoofs  of  fawns  on  a  string,  supposed  to 
liave  been  worn  as  a  necklace.     They  were  about 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  75 

twenty  in  number,  and  were  thought  to  have  been 
emblematic  of  innocence.  The  claw  of  an  eagle, 
with  a  cord  passed  through  it,  so  as  to  form  a  pen- 
dant for  the  neck.  The  jaw  of  a  bear,  designed  to 
be  worn  in  the  same  manner.  Two  rattlesnake 
skins ;  one  of  these  had  fourteen  rattles ;  they  were 
neatly  folded  up.  Some  vegetable  colors  done  up 
in  leaves.  A  small  bunch  of  deer  sinews.  Several 
bunches  of  white  thread  and  twine.  Seven  needles, 
some  of  which  were  of  horn,  and  some  of  bone; 
they  were  smooth,  and  appeared  to  have  been  much 
used.  The  top  of  one  of  these  needles  was  hand- 
somely scolloped,  but  none  of  them  had  any  eyelets 
to  recQive  the  thread.  A  hand-piece,  made  of  deer- 
skin, and  designed  to  protect  the  hand  in  the  use  of 
the  needles,  instead  of  a  thimble.  Two  whistles, 
about  eight  inches  long,  and  made  of  cane. 

In  the  various  articles  which  constituted  the  orna- 
ments of  the  mummy,  there  were  no  metallic  sub- 
stances ;  and  in  the  make  of  her  dress  there  was  no 
evidence  of  the  use  of  other  machinery  than  the 
bone  and  horn  needles.  No  warHke  arms  were 
found  among  the  collection. 

Of  the  race  to  which  she  belonged,  we  can  know 
nothing;  and  as  to  conjecture,  the  reader  of  this 
-account  can  judge  for  himself.  The  cause  of  the 
preservation  of  the  body,  ornaments,  and  dress,  is 
owing  to  the  nitrate  of  lime  that  impregnates  the 
atmosphere  of  the  cave,  and  the  entire  absence  of 
moisture  and  heat.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  putre- 
faction or  decomposition  possible  in  the  cave. 

The  features  of  this  exhumed  member  of  the 
human  family  much  resembled  those  of  a  tall,  hand- 
-some  American  woman. 


76  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

A  narrow  aperture  on  the  right  admits  the  visitor 
to  a  very  steep  and  insecure  flight  of  steps,  known 
as  the  "  Steps  of  Time,"  just  beyond  which  flows 
a  pure  spring.  Passing  from  this  the  party  pro- 
ceeded through  a  long  passage,  the  roof  of  which 
forms  a  double  arch,  smooth  and  as  w^hite  as  if  it. 
had  been  newly  hme-washed. 

On  the  right  is  a  pit,  nearly  a  hundred  feet  deep, 
and  twenty  feet  across.  The  light  from  the  burn- 
ing oiled  paper  which  the  guide  held,  gave  a  view 
of  the  rugged  outlines  of  the  place,  and  another 
burning  paper  being  thrown  into  the  pit,  the  black- 
ened walls  of  the  gaping  chasm  could  be  seen  for 
the  entire  depth.  "  Minerva's  Dome"  on  the  left 
is  fifty  feet  high  and  ten  feet  wide.  Near  this 
place  is  the  "  Bottomless  Pit."  To  the  first  break 
in  the  descent,  the  distance  is  one  hundred  feet, 
then  there  is  a  gentle  incline  and  the  pit  extends 
to  a  depth  of  seventy-five  feet  further,  as  frightful 
a  chasm  as  can  w^ell  be  imagined.  Immediately 
over  the  "Bottomless  Pit"  is  Shelby's  Dome,  which 
is  sixty  feet  in  height.  From  the  "  Hall  "  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Bottomless  Pit,  Pensacola  Avenue 
extends  for  nearly  a  mile.  The  chief  objects  of 
interest  along  the  avenue  are  the  "  Sea  Turtle  " — a 
mass  of  rock  that  has  fallen  from  the  roof;  "  Snow- 
ball Arched  Way,"  "  Mat's  Arcade,"  with  four  ter- 
races between  the  floor  and  roof,  extending  the 
entire  length  of  the  arcade ;  a  clump  of  stalactites, 
called  "Pine  Apple  Bush,"  and  Angehca's  Grotto, 
which  is  really  beautiful,  as  its  walls  are  covered 
with  white  crystals. 

On  re-entering  the  "  Deserted  Chamber"  the  party 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  77 

descended  another  flight  of  steps  and  entered  the 
"  Labyrinth,  "  a  curious  winding  passage  through 
the  rocks.  Ascending  a  few  steps,  we  came  out  on 
a  small  landing,  upon  one  side  of  which  was  an 
irregular  aperture,  through  which  the  party  looked, 
in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  guide, 
who  now  disappeared,  on  his  way  to  the  opposite 
side  to  light  his  oiled  paper.  The  dim  light  of  the 
lamps  revealed  an  immense  void — no  top,  no  bot- 
tom, no  hmit — nothing  but  impenetrable  darkness. 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  sensation  of  wonder 
and  awe  which  was  experienced.  A  moment  later, 
however,  a  bright  light  flashed  above,  and  we  were 
thus  enabled  to  distinguish  a  vast  dome,  two  hun- 
dred feet  high  and  sixty  feet  wide.  The  aperture 
through  which  the  party  looked,  is  situated  mid- 
w^ay  between  the  top  and  bottom.  Water  was 
constantly  dropping  from  the  upper  part  of  the 
dome  and  falling  upon  the  rocks  below.  Small 
stalagmites  studded  the  bottom.  The  opposite 
wall  resembled  an  immense  curtain,  hanging  in 
loose,  graceful  folds. 

Again  entering  the  main  cave  at  the  "  Griant's 
Coffin,"  the  party  continued  their  explorations. 
Three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  entrance,  the 
cave  bends  at  an  acute  angle,  not  far  from  which  are 
several  stone  houses,  built  nearly  thirty  years  ago  as 
resorts  for  consumptives.  A  greater  folly  than  such 
an  undertaking  there  could  not  be.  Of  course 
human  beings  require  the  sunhght  and  will  lan- 
guish and  die  without  it,  and  of  course  the  experi- 
ment was  soon  abandoned.  One  of  these  is  now 
appropriated  for  a  registry  room. 


78 

A  little  further  on  the  party  arrived  at  the  "  Star 
Chamber,"  one  of  the  most  interesting  places  in  the 
cave.  It  is  a  room  seventy-five  feet  high  and  fifty 
feet  broad;  the  roof  of  which  is  covered  with  a 
layer  of  black  gypsum.  A  glance  upward  seemingly 
enabled  us  to  see  the  starry  firmament.  It  was  a 
grand  optical  illusion.  The  roof  had  the  appear- 
ance of  the  sky  at  night,  studded  with  innumerable 
stars,  forming  groups  and  constellations;  hght, 
fleecy  clouds  seemed  to  float  over  a  part  of  the 
heavens,  partially  veihng  some  of  the  stars.  The 
rocky  walls  did  not  in  the  least  diminish  the  effect,, 
they  but  served  to  render  the  scene  more  wild  and 
weird,  more  wonderful.  It  seemed  as  if  we  had 
emerged  from  the  cave  and  entered  some  rocky 
pass  or  deep  canyon  at  midnight.  Seating  our- 
selves and  giving  up  to  the  guide  the  torches  we 
had  carried,  he  went  to  the  opposite  side  and  dis- 
appeared from  sight  behind  a  jutting  ledge  of  rock ;, 
the  hght  which  he  held  unseen  to  us,  shone  upon 
the  canopy  rendering  the  illusion  complete.  "  Some- 
times," said  the  guide  from  his  hiding  place,  '^a 
storm  comes,  and  hides  the  stars;"  saying  this,  he 
gradually  withdrew  the  hghts,  causing  a  dark  and 
heavy  shadow  to  creep  up  the  opposite  waU  and 
across  the  sky,  enveloping  aU  things  with  utter 
darkness.  Bringing  the  lamps  nearer,  the  deep 
gloom  vanished  and  the  stars  shone  as  clearly  as 
before.  Again  the  experiment  was  repeated;  all 
was  blackest  night — not  a  single  ray  reheved  the 
gloom.  We  were  breathless.  What  if  a  fatal  acci^ 
dent  should  occur  to  our  guide!  There  was  the 
silence  of  death,  the  dense  darkness  of  the  grave,. 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  79^ 

that  was  almost  palpable — a  silence  and  darkness 
painful  to  the  senses.  In  such  rayless  night  and 
perfect  stillness,  persons  have  been  lost  within  this 
cave,  and  with  only  the  flitting  bat  for  company, 
and  with  the  mocking  echoes  of  the  cave  to  answer 
their  piteous  cries,  httle  wonder  that  in  such  cases 
insanity  has  quickly  ensued. 

The  guide  approached  with  the  hghted  torch. 
How  welcome  was  the  hght — even  one  so  poor  as- 
this !  It  is  worth  a  trip  to  the  cave  to  learn  to  fully 
appreciate  the  blessing  of  hght,  which  too  often 
those  esteem  so  little  who  have  never  known  its 
loss. 

The  cave  extends  three  miles  further,  terminating 
in  great  masses  of  rock  that  have  fallen  from  the 
roof.  Immediately  adjacent  to  the  Star  Chamber 
is  the  "  Floating  Cloud  "  room,  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
long,  and  of  the  same  height  and  breadth  of  the 
former.  The  roof  presents  the  appearance  of  float- 
ing clouds,  a  phenomenon  caused  by  the  scahng  off, 
in  places,  of  the  black  gypsum,  uncovering  the 
white  sulphate  of  soda  beneath.  The  stars,  seen 
from  the  "  Star  Chamber "  are  due  to  the  same 
cause — by  the  crystahzation  of  this  salt  through 
httle  points  in  the  ceihng.  These  crystals,  when 
illuminated  by  the  lamp-hght,  ghtter  and  sparkle 
hke  real  stars. 

StiU  beyond  is  "  Proctor's  Arcade  " — a  straight 
channel,  one  hundred  feet  wide,  forty-five  feet  high 
and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  extent.  This  leads 
to  "  Wright's  Eotunda,"  a  room  four  hundred  feet 
in  diameter  and  covered  with  an  immense  stone, 
perfectly  flat  and  about  forty  feet  above  the  floor. 


KENTUKCY  RIVER  AT  FRANKFORT. 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  81 

Beyond  this  is  the  "  Temple,"  the  floor  of  which 
contains  two  acres  of  ground,  and  covered  by  a 
dome  one  hundred  feet  high.  An  avenue  leads  to 
"  Fairy  Grotto,"  a  beautiful  little  stalactite  room. 
The  "  Black  Chamber "  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  wide  and  twenty  feet  high,  entirely  lined  with 
black  gypsum,  which  is  certainly  sombre  enough. 
In  this  part  of  the  cave  are  some  small  cascades. 

The  next  day  our  party  started  to  explore  the 
"  Long  Eoute."  Passing  the  "  Bottomless  Pit,"  the 
visitor  enters  the  "  Valley  of  Humility  " — a  passage 
but  four  feet  in  height,  which  brings  him  to  the 
"  Scotchman's  Trap,"  a  small,  nearly  circular  open- 
ing through  which  he  descends,  and  over  which  a 
three-cornered  stone  rests,  with  one  of  its  corners 
just  touching  a  point  of  rock  on  the  opposite  wall; 
should  this  fall,  it  would  obstruct  egress  from  this 
direction,  but  there  are  other  routes  of  escape  to 
the  main  cave.  The  trap  admits  the  visitor  to  a 
passage  a  little  over  three  hundred  feet  long,  from 
four  to  ten  feet  wide,  and  from  one  to  four  feet  high, 
along  the  bottom  of  which,  the  water  has  worn  a 
winding  channel  three  feet  deep  and  nearly  two  feet 
wide.  It  is  not  the  most  comfortable  thing  in  life 
to  pass  through.  I  am  sure  our  friend  on  board  the 
steamer  would  be  obhged  to  divest  himself  of  his 
hfe-preservers  to  make  the  passage,  and  even  then 
I  am  not  quite  sure  his  ever  constant  fear  might  not 
be  reahzed. 

"  Great  Relief  "  is  a  good-sized  room  at  the  end 
of  the  crooked  and  narrow  way,  and  never  was  a 
locality  better  named.  We  now  arrive  at  "  River 
Hall,"  which  extends  to  the  river  Styx.     On  the 


82  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

right  is  a  small,  low  chamber,  the  roof  of  which  is 
cut  into  various  fantastic  shapes  by  the  action  of 
water.  From  this  room  Sparks'  Avenue  leads  to 
the  "  Mammoth  Dome."  The  only  objects  of  note 
along  this  avenue  are  a  number  of  rocks  having  a 
perfect  resemblance  to  petrified  wood.  Mammoth 
Dome  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  and  covers 
a  correspondingly  large  area.  The  Corinthian  col- 
umns, four  in  number  on  one  side  of  the  "  Dome," 
seem  to  have  been  cut  out  of  solid  rock.  The  party 
pursued  their  way  along  "  Kiver  Hall,"  which 
gradually  descended,  till  the  floor,  which  had  been 
dry,  became  soft  and  damp. 

On  the  left  is  the  "Dead  Sea,"  a  dark,  gloomy- 
looking  pit  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  long,  from 
fifteen  to  forty  yards  wide,  and  filled  with  water  to 
within  forty  feet  of  the  top.  It  occupies  nearly  the 
entire  avenue ;  the  passage  along  the  right  side  is 
only  wide  enough  for  two  persons  to  walk  side  by 
side,  and  is  inchned,  wet  and  slippery.  For  a  part 
of  the  distance  an  iron  railing  has  been  erected  to 
guard  visitors  from  slipping  into  the  "Sea."  Like 
all  other  waters  in  the  cave,  the  Dead  Sea  has  con- 
nection with  Green  Eiver,  and  rises  and  falls  with 
that  stream. 

At  very  high  water — Green  River  sometimes  rises 
to  the  height  of  sixty  feet — the  iron  railing  on  the 
bank  of  the  "Dead  Sea"  is  entirely  submerged. 
There  is  a  perpetual  sound  of  dripping  water,  which 
coming  up  from  the  mysterious  depths,  echoing  from 
the  rocks  and  caverns,  while  all  is  utter  darkness, 
serves  to  intensify  the  sense  of  awe,  and  add  to  the 
mystery  and  gloom.     Descending  from  our  position 


AND   WONDEES   OF   THE   WEST. 


83. 


to  within  twenty  feet  of  the  water,  the  view  was 
even  more  impressive  than  hefore. 

The  "  Eiver  Styx  "  was  next  visited.  This  water 
was  crossed  on  the  Natural  Bridge,  a  grand  arch  of 
rock  spanning  the  stream  some  thirty  feet  above  its 
surface.  Next  is  seen  the  ''Eiver  Lethe,"  which 
extends  in  the  direction  of  the  passage  for  a  dis- 
tance of  one  or  two  hundred  yards.  The  waters  are 
motionless,  and  no  sound  disturbs  the  perfect  qui- 
etude of  the  scene.  The  roof  of  the  cave  at  this 
place  is  ninety  feet  high,  and  on  either  side  the 
walls  are  grand  and  precipitous.  An  old  boat  was 
called  in  requisition  to  ferry  the  party  over.  On  the 
other  shore,  a  pistol  was  discharged  by  the  guide,  and 
the  sound  was  hke  the  crash  of  thunder ;  it  echoed 
through  the  passages,  again  and  again,  becoming 
fainter  and  fainter  till  at  length  it  died  away. 

The  '' Grreat  Walk"  is  a  continuation  of  Eiver 
Hall,  and  extends  from  "  Lethe  "  to  "  Echo  Eiver." 
It  is  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  and  is  covered 
with  deep,  loose  sand.  A  very  moderate  rise  of 
Green  Eiver  causes  this  to  overflow,  and  opens 
communication  between  the  Lethe  and  the  Echo 
Elvers;  but  the  former  is  perhaps  only  a  pool  of 
back-water  left  by  the  latter  after  a  rise,  as  the  cave 
is  lower  at  that  part  than  the  river  bed.  The  roof 
of  the  ''Great  Walk"  is  forty  feet  high,  and  pre- 
sents the  appearance  of  light  floating  clouds.  At 
the  end  of  this  "walk,"  Echo  Eiver  leads  off  from 
the  main  passage  through  a  low  arched  way,  but 
extends  to  it  again  further  on,  the  present  river 
being  a  mere  cut-off  from  the  main  channel.  The 
main  passage  is  called   "Purgatory,"  and  admits 


84 

parties  to  distant  parts  of  the  cave  when  the  water  is 
too  high  to  allow  of  the  trip  down  Echo  Kiver,  which 
was  made  by  our  party.  At  first  starting,  the  roof 
is  quite  low,  so  near  the  water  that  even  when  at 
its  lowest  point,  travelers  are  compelled  to  assume 
;a  stooping  posture  in  passing  through. 

Sometimes  the  water  rises  so  suddenly  as  to  en- 
tirely fill  this  passage  in  a  few  hours.  Should  the 
traveler  find  himself  thus  entrapped,  his  only  chance 
of  escape  is  through  "  Purgatory,"  which  is  less  af- 
fected by  a  rise  in  Green  Kiver.  After  proceeding 
for  a  short  distance  through  this  tunnel,  the  roof 
became  higher,  and  the  river  extended  to  a  width 
of  two  hundred  feet.  A  pistol  was  again  discharged, 
•causing  a  fearful  crash,  not  less  than  the  report  of 
a  Parrot  gun.  It  seemed  as  though  each  cavity 
in  the  rocks  gave  a  separate  answer,  sending  the 
'Sound  back  after  it  had  nearly  died  away,  with  re- 
doubled force  like  heavy  thunder. 

In  this  river  is  found  the  eyeless  fish.  It  is  from 
four  to  six  inches  in  length,  and  though  there  are 
marks  indicating  the  position  of  eyes,  these  organs 
are  wanting.  Another  kind  of  fish,  which  is  some- 
times, but  rarely  found  here,  possesses  eyes,  but  is 
destitute  of  vision.  These  fishes  are  occasional- 
ly obtained  in  other  waters  of  the  cave.  After 
heavy  freshets  ordinary  fish  and  frogs  come  in 
from  Grreen  Eiver.  The  rat  is  also  an  inhabi- 
tant of  the  cave.  This  animal  is  much  larger 
than  the  common  species.  There  is  no  pecuharity 
about  its  eyes,  except  that  they  are  unusually  large. 
Lizards  and  bats  innumerable,  as  also  a  great  variety 
of  insects  are  also  dwellers  in  these  subterranean 


AND   WONDEKS    OF    THE   WEST.  85^ 

regions,  but  vegetable  life  in  any  form  is  never  found 
here. 

On  landing,  the  party  entered  Silliman's  Avenue, 
which  is  a  mile- and- a-haK  long.  At  one  point  thera 
is  a  cascade  of  sparkling  water  that  falls  from  the 
roof  and  flows  away  through  the  floor ;  near  this  is 
an  avenue  to  "  Koaring  Eiver,"  which  resembles  the 
one  last  described.  The  echo  there  is  even  louder, 
and  a  cascade  at  the  extremity  causes  a  constant 
roar.  Passing  the  "  Infernal  Regions, "  and  a  few 
other  places  of  little  interest,  we  arrive  at  Rhoda's 
Avenue,  which  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  cave. 
It  leads  to  "  Lucy's  Dome,  "which  is  three  hundred 
feet  high  and  sixty  in  diameter.  The  waUs  have 
the  appearance  of  being  hung  with  drapery,  and  al- 
together, this  "  Dome  "  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing localities  in  the  cave. 

The  "  Pass  of  El  Ghor  "  has  a  very  singular  ap- 
pearance. It  is  two  miles  long,  in  many  places  only 
ten  or  twenty  feet  wide,  and  forty  or  fifty  feet  high. 
It  bends  in  every  direction,  and  the  floor  is  cum- 
bered with  huge  masses  of  rock.  The  round  and 
smooth  surfaces,  so  noticeable  in  other  portions  of 
the  cave,  are  here  entirely  wanting.  Everything 
was  rugged  and  angular..  In  places,  the  floor  for 
long  distances  is  composed  wholly  of  loose  rocks 
over  which  the  visitor  must  clamber  at  imminent  peril 
to  hfe  or  limb.  In  other  parts  the  shelves  of  rock 
extend  so  far  over  the  track,  that  great  caution  is 
necessary  to  avoid  accidents.  Among  the  objects. 
of  special  interest  to  be  seen  in  this  ''Pass,"  are 
the  "Hanging  Rocks" — immense  masses  that  have 
become  detached  and  hang  over  the  passage  in  a 


86  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

position  seemingly  ready  to  fall  at  a  touch.  In 
some  places  they  have  sunk  so  far  as  to  greatly  con- 
tract the  passage.  A  person  of  nervous  tempera- 
ment is  very  liable  to  feel  some  misgivings  in  pass- 
ing beneath  them.  It  is  scarcely  probable  that  they 
will  fall  at  an  early  day,  as  that  part  of  the  cave  is 
dry. 

Table  Rock,  the  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta,  and 
several  other  localities  received  but  a  hasty  glance. 
SteUa's  Dome  is  well  worth  special  attention.  Its 
frost  work  and  crystals  are  very  beautiful,  but  in 
nearly  aU  respects  it  is  like  Lucy's  Dome. 

"Martha's  Yineyard"  is  especially  interesting. 
The  walls  and  roof  are  covered  with  heavy  clusters 
of  black  grapes,  so  closely  massed  that  neither  leaves 
nor  stems  can  be  seen.  A  stalactite  about  three 
inches  in  diameter  winds  its  way  down  the  wall,  re- 
sembling a  grape  vine.  Of  course  it  is  not  possible 
to  detach  a  single  cluster  or  grape,  for  each  is  a  part 
of  the  solid  rock.  Water  continually  trickles  down 
the  wall  keeping  the  grapes  moist,  and  as  they  are 
nearly  black,  causing  them  to  reflect  different  tints 
as  if  in  a  stage  of  ripening. 

Near  this  place  is  the  "Chapel,"  a  beautiful  sta- 
lactite chamber,  adjoining  which  is  a  bare  room,  in 
the  center  of  which  is  a  grave,  seemingly  hewn  out 
of  the  sohd  rock  by  human  hands.  It  is  called  the 
^' Holy  Sepulchre.'' 

From  Washington  Hall — the  usual  dining  place 
of  visitors — extends  "Marion's  Avenue."  It  is  a 
mile -and- a-half  long,  and  at  its  extremity  divides 
into  two  branches,  one  of  which  leads  to  "  Para- 
dise," the  other  to  "  Zoe's  Grotto."    Thus  there  is 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  87 

within  this  great  cave  "Paradise,"  "Purgatory," 
and  the  "  Bottomless  Pit."  The  traveler  may  take 
his  choice. 

"  Portia's  Parterre  "  leads  off  from  "  Paradise. "  It 
is  about  half  a  mile  long.  The  walls  both  here  and 
in  "  Paradise "  are  covered  with  gypsum  flowers 
and  other  very  beautiful  crystaHzations.  We  next 
enter  "  Snowball  Eoom,"  the  roof  of  which  is  only 
about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  high,  and  is  thickly  dotted 
over  with  semi-spherical  masses  of  pure  white  sul- 
phate of  hme,  about  the  size  of  a  six  pound  shot,  and 
giving  the  impression  that  some  one  had  been  pelt- 
ing the  roof  with  snowballs,  especially  as  these  balls 
have  the  loose,  crystaline  structure  of  snow,  and 
sparkled  and  glittered  with  the  reflection  of  the 
torches. 

"  Mary's  Bower"  was  next  visited  and  found  more 
beautiful  than  any  locahty  previously  seen.  This 
"  Bower  "  is  the  first  room  in  "  Cleveland's  Cabi- 
net" which  extends  for  a  distance  of  two  miles.  It 
is  about  forty  feet  wide,  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
high.  The  floor  is  level  and  free  from  obstruc- 
tions, a  fortunate  condition,  for  in  this  room  dame 
Nature  stores  her  pretty  things.  It  is  the  flower 
garden  of  the  lower  world ;  and  as  other  portions 
of  the  cave  are  reproductions  of  objects  and  places 
seen  above  ground,  so  this  is  a  reproduction  of  a 
flower  garden  in  which  a  never-ending  crop  of 
snowy  whiteness  is  constantly  being  produced  with- 
out the  aid  of  light  or  moisture — indeed  the  entire 
absence  of  the  latter  is  essential  to  their  formation. 

Bummer  and  winter,  day  and  night,  the  growth 
goes  on  uninterruptedly,  creating  a  profusion  of  love- 


88 


LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 


liness,  constantly  falling,  and  as  constantly  being 
reproduced.  Tliis  is  by  far  the  most  beautiful  por- 
tion of  the  cave.  Throughout  the  entire  length  of 
the  "Cabinet  "  the  roof  and  walls  are  thickly  cov- 
ered with  crystalizations  of  sulphate  of  hme  which 
have  taken  the  forms  of  flowers,  fruits  and  vegeta- 
bles, imitating  them  more  perfectly  than  could  have 
been  done  by  a  skillful  sculptor.  One  very  com- 
mon form  is  a  large  six-petaled  flower  about  four 
inches  across,  with  a  large  bunch  of  protruding 
stamens  in  the  center.  But  almost  every  known 
variety  of  flowers  may  be  found  reproduced  in  this 
wonderful  formation  of  rock,  often  so  dehcate  that 
they  crumble  at  the  touch.  Not  only  are  they  ta 
be  found  in  such  profusion,  but  they  are  constantly 
growing,  and  as  the  growth  from  beneath  gradually 
crowds  off  the  older  ones,  these  fall  to  the  floor, 
which  is  literally  covered  with  the  fragmentary  re- 
mains of  the  crops  of  ages. 

That  the  crystalizations  should  have  taken  place 
under  the  circumstances  is  not  remarkable ;  that 
they  should  have  assumed  various  beautiful  forms, 
is  not  a  matter  of  astonishment  to  a  chemist;  but 
that  they  should  so  completely  imitate  the  vegetable 
forms  of  the  upper  world,  in  all  their  variations,  is 
certainly  calculated  to  excite  wonder  and  admira- 
tion. Were  the  instances  of  this  imitation  excep- 
tional, it  might  be  accounted  for  on  the  law  of  ac- 
cidental coincidence,  similar  to  that  by  which  the 
Giant's  Coffin  was  made  in  such  perfect  form;  but 
when  we  consider  that  these  forms  are  not  the  ex- 
ception but  the  rule — that  they  occur  in  endless 
profusion  for  a  space  of  two  miles,  and  that  scarcely 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  89 

any  form  but  that  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  is  pro- 
duced, the  hypothesis  of  accident  certainly  be- 
comes untenable.  The  chemist  may  reason,  and 
the  philosopher  speculate  and  assign  it  to  chemical 
affinity,  they  but  refer  the  cause  back  to  conditions 
as  incomprehensible  as  the  first. 

The  evidence  of  design  stands  forth  plainly  dis- 
cernable  through  it  all,  and  not  to  be  obscured  by 
all  the  laws  of  science  and  reason  that  man's  inge- 
nuity can  devise  for  veiling  it.  Every  cause  that 
can  be  adduced  refers  back  at  last  to  one  great 
cause  that  must  be  antecedent  to  them  all — the 
will  of  the  Creator  of  all  things,  the  Architect  and 
Euler  of  the  Universe. 

"  Kose's  Bower  "  is  but  a  continuation  of  the  one 
last  described,  and  in  all  respects  is  quite  as  beau- 
tiful. 

Among  the  points  of  special  interest  in  the  "Cabi- 
net "  are  the  following :  The  "  Cross  "  is  a  large 
crevice  in  the  roof  about  eight  feet  long,  and  inter- 
sected near  one  extremity  by  another  shorter  one, 
forming  the  perfect  figure  of  a  cross.  The  whole 
interior  of  this  crevice  is  hned  with  flowers. 

"  Bachus'  Glory  "  is  a  small  room  about  five  feet 
long  and  three  high,  the  whole  interior  of  which  is 
hned  with  grapes  of  white  or  yellowish  white  tint. 
These  by  the  hght  of  the  torches  sparkled  hke  pre- 
cious gems. 

A  httle  distance  beyond,  the  character  of  the 
passage  is  widely  different  from  that  which  had 
excited  so  much  admiration  of  the  party.  The 
"  Eocky  Mountains  "  is  one  hundred  feet  high,  and 
composed  chiefly  of  stones  of  all  sizes  that  had 


W  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

fallen  from  the  roof.  The  sides  of  the  mountain 
are  very  steep,  and  the  summit  can  only  be  reached 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  and  danger,  but  even 
many  ladies  accompHsh  the  undertaking,  where 
they  are  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  "  Cleopatra's 
Needle  " — a  small  stalagmite  about  two  feet  high. 
On  one  side  of  the  mountain  is  a  corresponding 
depression  called  '^  Dismal  Hollow."  At  this  point 
the  cave  divides  into  three  branches.  The  one  to 
the  right  leads  to  "  Sandstone  Dome."  The  central 
one  called  "  Franklin  Avenue,"  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  length  leads  to  "  Serena's  Arbor,"  a  chamber  forty 
feet  high  and  twenty  feet  wide,  the  walls  of  which 
are  covered  with  stalactite  formations.  "  Crogan's 
Hall,"  is  the  terminus  of  the  cave.  It  is  seventy 
feet  in  height,  with  a  smooth  floor  and  smooth 
arched  roof.  The  walls  are  covered  with  sta- 
lactites, smooth,  white,  and  much  resembhng  ice. 
On  the  right  is  a  pit,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet  deep,  called  the  "Maelstrom,"  into  which 
streams  of  water  flow  from  different  points  causing 
s,  peculiar  sound.  At  the  further  end  of  the  "  Hall " 
the  floor  and  roof  meet.  Our  explorations  of  the 
great  cave  have  ended. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST. 


91 


CHAPTEK  Y. 


Natural  Scenery  in  Kentucky — The  Capital  of  the  State — Old  Home 
and  Memories  of  Henry  Clay— Indianapolis — The  Battle  Ground  of 
Tippecanoe — Fort  Wayne—  An  Indian's  Saving  Bank — First  View  of 
the  Western  Prairies— Peoria— Galena— Life  Underground. 

Throughout  the  hmestone  region  of  Kentucky 
-are  numerous  caverns  of  greater  or  less  extent,  sev- 
eral of  which  we  visited.     Though  differing  widely 

in  general  features, 
all  present  the  most 
beautiful  concre- 
tions, stalactites, 
stalagmites,  and 
crystalizations, 
such  as  rewarded 
our  explorations  in 
Mammoth  Cave. 
Proctor's  Cave  in 
Kentucky,  which 
has  been  explored 
for  several  miles, 
and  Wyandotte 
Cave,  near  Cory- 
don,  Indiana,  are 
especially  interest- 
ing, but  our  limited 
time  did  not  allow  of  a  complete  exploration  of 
^either. 

The  natural  scenery  in  many  parts  of  Kentucky 


92  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 

is  remarkably  picturesque,  wild  and  beautiful,  and 
affords  excellent  subjects  for  the  artist's  pencil. 
The  route  we  had  chosen  for  our  return  to  Cincin- 
nati led  us  to  the  lovely  little  city  of  Frankfort — tha 
capital  of  the  State — which  we  could  not  pass  with- 
out pausing  to  admire  the  natural  beauties  of  the 
locahty.  The  city  is  environed  by  hills  crowned 
with  forest  trees  and  verdure,  and  through  it  flows 
the  beautiful  Kentucky  Kiver,  spanned  by  a  httle 
rustic  bridge  from  which  we  had  a  view  of  the 
charming  scenery. 

The  river,  which  at  this  point  is  very  narrow, 
winds  its  way  among  the  hills, — now  hidden  from 
view  by  projecting  chfls,  and  again  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance, appearing  hke  a  silver  cord  upon  a  ground  of 
emerald,  as  the  setting  sun  cast  his  last  rays  upon 
the  unruffled  surface. 

Upon  a  high  bluff  overlooking  the  river,  a  locality 
especially  lovely — is  an  old  cemetery — the  burial 
place  of  several  of  the  Governors  of  the  State,  and 
also  of  the  famous  Daniel  Boone.  There  are  also 
tablets  and  costly  monuments  and  obelisks  marking 
the  resting  places  of  the  honored  dead,  but  there 
was  none  of  all  these  that  had  for  me  the  deep  in- 
terest of  the  mounds,  ranged  side  by  side,  of  Ken- 
tucky's noble  sons  who  yielded  up  their  lives  in 
their  devotion  to  their  country's  cause.  An  emer- 
ald mantle  covers  them,  in  which  are  woven  by 
Nature's  deft  and  lavish  hand,  little  flowerets  that 
treasure  up  the  tears  of  night  for  heroes  fallen. 

Though  the  effacing  hand  of  time  may  obUterate 
the  memorials  of  marble  tablets,  and  crumble  into 
dust,  the  monuments  that  stand  so  stately,  challenge 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  93 

ing  the  passer-by  to  read  of  virtues  those  possessed 
whom  they  comraemorate,  green  forever  be  the  me- 
mory of  those  gallant  men,  in  whatever  State  their 
home,  in  whatever  ground  they  he,  who  at  their 
country's  call  gave  up  their  lives  in  valiant  service 
for  her ! 

Leaving  Frankfort  by  the  evening  train,  we  soon 
arrived  in  Lexington,  the  old  home  of  Kentucky's 
favorite  son — the  Nation's  rather — the  home  of 
Henry  Clay. 

With  what  reverence  and  w^hat  pride  do  we  speak 
the  names  of  Clay,  of  Webster,  Benton,  Critten- 
den, Chase,  Douglass,  Sumner,  Wilson,  Lincoln, 
and  others  of  the  bright  galaxy  whose  fame  is  im- 
mortal !  They  hved  for  their  country.  Her  glory, 
her  greatness  and  her  fame  was  their  ambition  and 
their  pride.  Upon  w^hom,  in  our  age,  will  their 
mantles  fall? 

There  is  something  both  sad  and  sweet  in  the 
memories  clustering  round  the  homes  of  departed 
heroes — the  ideals  of  the  people.  This  is  especially 
so  of  a  man  hke  Henry  Clay,  who  was  personally 
beloved  by  the  people  of  Kentucky  to  an  extent 
that  seems  almost  marvelous.  No  other  public 
man  of  his  time,  not  even  Quincy,  Kandolph  or 
Calhoun — his  great  rivals  for  forensic  honors — en- 
joyed as  he  did,  the  unbounded  love  and  esteem  of 
his  constituents,  each  of  whom  thought  and  spoke 
of  Mr.  Clay  as  his  personal  friend — a  friend  to  be 
revered. 

I  visited  Ashland,  the  former  home  for  many  years 
of  the  great  statesman.  It  is  situated  on  the  road 
leading  south  from  Lexington,  distant  about  a  mile- 


94  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

and-a-half  from  the  court-house.  As  I  entered  the- 
gate  and  walked  up  the  shaded  road- way  which 
leads  to  the  house,  I  felt  that  I  was  treading  upon 
sacred  ground.  The  original  Ashland  estate,  when 
Mr.  Clay  bought  it  in  1805,  consisted  of  650  acres, 
but  after  his  death  it  was  divided.  The  old  house 
has  been  demohshed  and  given  place  to  another, 
built,  however,  from  the  same  architectural  designs. 
The  "  negro  quarters  "  of  Mr.  Clay's  servants  are 
still  standing. 

At  his  Ashland  home,  Mr.  Clay  received  his  neigh- 
bors and  his  distinguished  company,  with  the  same 
generous  hospitality.  He  often  entertained  the 
leading  men  of  the  time,  and  among  his  visitors 
were  Daniel  Webster,  Count  Bertrand,  the  French 
minister,  Mr.  Palitica,  the  Eussian  ambassador, 
Lafayette,  President  Monroe,  Lord  Morpeth  and 
many  others,  who  came  great  distances  to  see  him 
and  enjoy  his  hospitahty.  Every  great  man  has,  in 
a  certain  sense,  a  dual  character.  As  a  pubHc  man, 
he  is  constantly  on  his  guard,  lest  he  betray  some 
weakness  of  his  nature,  or  afford  opportunities  for 
jealous  minds  to  censure  and  condemn;  in  his  pri- 
vate and  social  relations,  he  is  but  a  man  among 
men.  In  the  latter  relation,  Mr.  Clay  was  as  suc- 
cessful in  winning  golden  opinions  of  his  neighbors, 
as  he  was  in  pubhc  Hfe — in  the  senate  and  in  popu- 
lar assemblages.  He  charmed  every  one  with  whom 
he  held  any  intercourse,  by  his  kindly  and  hospita- 
ble manner.  While  all  felt  that  they  were  in  the 
presence  of  a  superior  intelligence,  yet  his  pleasing 
manners  never  failed  to  invite  confidence,  and  hence 
his  social  parties  were  always  dehghtful. 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  95- 

In  the  beautiful  cemetery  of  Lexington  is  a  mon- 
ument to  his  memory.  It  is  120  feet  in  height,  and 
is  surmounted  by  a  statue  which  has  been  pro- 
nounced a  perfect  semblance  of  the  great  states- 
man, whose  body  reposes  within  the  crypt  at  the 
base  of  the  monument. 

The  corner-stone  was  laid  July  4,  1857,  and  the 
structure,  which  is  of  gray  lime- stone,  was  finished 
two  years  later,  and  formally  dedicated  with  the 
most  imposing  ceremonies  July  4,  1860,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  an  immense  concourse  of  persons,  hundreds 
of  whom  came  from  distant  states. 

With  the  purpose  of  seeing  several  other  points 
east  of  the  Mississippi — which  aside  from  the  great 
interest  they  possess  for  every  tourist,  as  evidences 
of  the  wonderful  growth  and  prosperity  of  our 
country,  are  also  rich  in  historical  associations — 
three  of  us  proceeded  to  Indiana,  while  the  other 
members  of  our  party  departed  for  St.  Louis,  to 
complete  the  most  important  preliminaries  for  the 
continuation  of  our  trip,  viz.,  to  charter  a  steamer 
of  light  draught,  in  which  we  proposed  to  visit  some 
of  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Far  West ;  for  the  de- 
lay which  had  been  occasioned  by  the  failure  of  the 
two  English  gentlemen  to  arrive  at  the  appointed 
time,  had  deprived  us  of  the  opportunity  of  pro- 
ceeding in  a  government  steamer  that  was  to  con- 
vey supplies  to  several  of  the  western  forts,  in 
which  we  had  expected  to  take  passage. 

The  first  point  of  destination  of  the  former  party 
was  to  Lafayette,  Indiana.  Stopping  over  for  a  few 
hours  in  Indianapohs,  the  State  Capital,  and  taking 
hasty  glances  at  the  beautiful  city,  I  was  not  a  lit- 


96  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

tie  amused  by  the  expressions  of  astonishment  of 
one  of  our  Enghsh  companions,  Mr.  Barstow,  whose 
geography  and  history  both,  concerning  the  United 
States,  were  somewhat  out  of  joint.  He  had  grad- 
uated at  one  of  the  best  colleges  it  is  true,  but  this 
was  his  first  visit  to  this  country,  and  his  astonish- 
ment was  unbounded  on  learning  that  but  fifty 
years  ago  the  site  of  this  delightful  city  was  the 
undisputed  territory  of  the  red  man, — that  their 
council  fires  had  been  kindled  and  their  pow-wows 
held  upon  the  very  spot  w^hereon  the  capitol 
stands  to-day ;  that  men  are  now  living  in  the  city 
who  well  remember  its  first  settlement  and  the 
difiiculties  and  perils  experienced  by  the  early  set- 
tlers, in  their  efforts  to  estabhsh  homes  for  them- 
selves in  this  then"  Far  West" — regions  which  have 
since  so  far  receded. 

Mr.  Warrington,  the  second  of  our  English  friends, 
obtained  credit  for  a  better  knowledge  of  the  New 
World  by  his  silence,  but  it  was  very  evident  that 
he  was  quite  as  much  amazed  by  what  he  saw  as 
was  his  more  out-spoken  companion. 

A  ride  of  sixty-six  miles  brought  us  to  Lafayette. 
This  thriving  and  beautiful  city  is  situated  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Wabash  Eiver,  and  is  in  all  respects 
as  enterprising  as  any  city  in  the  State.  The  first 
American  settlement  of  the  place  was  made  in  1823 
— four  years  later  than  the  period  of  settlement  of 
Indianapolis.  Among  the  chief  objects  of  interest 
in  the  city  is  an  artesian  mineral  well,  of  the  depth 
of  230  feet,  of  the  wonderful  heahng  properties  of 
which  the  reader  is  as  well  informed  as  myself.  If 
medicines   are    efficacious   in    proportion    to    the 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  97 

degree  of  their  disagreeable  taste — which  it  would 
seem  that  some  phj^sicians  believe — these  waters 
must  be  super-excellent,  and  the  sound  health  of 
our  party  is  assured  from  this  onward,  to  the  end  of 
our  hves.  I  say  this,  however,  in  confidence  and  in 
parenthesis,  that  the  good  people  of  Lafayette  may 
not  think  us  ungrateful  for  the  many  courtesies  ex- 
tended by  them.  The  Wabash  Canal  affords  com- 
munication with  the  Ohio  and  with  Lake  Erie,  and 
vast  quantities  of  grain  thus  find  transportation  to 
the  great  markets  of  the  world. 

Seven  miles  distant  from  the  city  is  the  old  battle- 
ground of  Tippecanoe,  to  w^hich  we  paid  a  vdsit,  and 
in  doing  so,  passed  through  a  most  fertile  and  highly 
cultivated  region  of  country.  This  spot  of  ground 
was,  in  1811,  the  theater  of  the  most  desperate 
fighting  between  the  Indians  and  the  brave  soldiers 
under  command  of  General  Harrison.  It  was  the 
last  grand  struggle  of  the  Miami  Confederacy  to  re- 
pel the  advance  of  civihzation,  upon  which  the  most 
momentous  results  depended.  If  the  Indians  were 
defeated,  farewell  to  their  hopes  of  ever  driving 
the  white  man  from  the  beautiful  country  they 
had  entered,  and  which  they  would  then  forever 
possess;  if  victorious,  the  graves  of  their  fathers 
and  their  fair  hunting-grounds  would  be  safe  to 
them  and  their  children — the  white  man  would  flee 
in  terror,  never  more  to  return,  and  the  smoke  from 
their  wigwams  in  these  favorite  regions  would  ascend 
to  the  skies  for  all  future  time.  Tecumseh  led  the 
warriors  to  battle.  He  was  a  host  in  himseK.  En- 
joying the  fuUest  confidence  of  the  "  braves"  whom 
he  led,  and  beheving  himself  invincible,  he  and  his 

7 


98  LIFE   IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

followers  rushed  madly  to  the  conflict.  No  chief- 
tain of  all  the  Confederacy  was  better  quahfied  than 
he  to  give  battle  to  the  pale  faces. 

General  Harrison,  who  was  an  expert  and  vahant 
Indian  fighter,  knew  well  the  foe  with  whom  he 
had  to  deal,  and  did  not  under-rate  the  prowess  and 
cunning  of  the  enemy.  Never  was  there  a  more 
determined  and  deadly  contest  between  savagery 
and  civihzation.  Furiously,  like  the  whirl-wind 
rushed  the  Eed  men ;  with  tomahawks  and  scalping- 
ing  knives  uplifted — hand-to-hand  they  fought ;  the 
savages  heeding  not  the  gaUing  fire  that  covered 
the  ground  with  the  dead  and  dying,  but  with  hide- 
ous yells  and  the  fury  of  demons,  sought  to  avenge 
the  slain.  At  length  the  chieftain,  Tecumseh  him- 
self, fell,  and  by  his  fall  the  Indian  confederacy  was 
broken  and  the  savages  scattered  in  aU  directions, 
never  afterwards  daring  to  molest  the  settlers  who 
came  hither  to  take  possession  of  their  lands. 

Fort  Wayne  was  our  next  point  of  destination. 
This  enterprising  city  is  situated  at  the  confluence 
of  the  St.  Mary's  and  St.  Joseph's  Eivers.  These 
waters  uniting  form  the  Maumee.  Fort  Wayne, 
now  so  flourishing  and  prosperous,  with  its  fine 
hotels,  elegant  public  buildings  and  private  resi- 
dences, its  machine-shops  and  factories,  its  many 
churches,  schools  andnew^s  journals,  and  other  con- 
comitants of  a  fine  city,  had  in  its  infancy  a  hard 
struggle  for  existence. 

In  1794,  General  Wayne  here  erected  a  fort,  the 
ruins  of  which  may  yet  be  seen.  So  far  was  it  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  civihzation,  that  nobody  deemed 
it  either  safe  or  profitable  to  penetrate  so  far  west- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  99 

ward.  Even  tlie  most  restless  Yankee  farmer,  wlio 
contemplated  a  removal  to  the  "  Far  West,"  never 
dreamed  of  going  further  than  Ohio,  which  was  so 
very  far  away,  but  as  for  going  to  Indiana,  that 
would  be  '*  flying  directly  into  the  face  and  eyes  of 
Providence  " — a  thought  never  to  be  entertained  by 
prudent  people — so  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years  Ft. 
Wayne  was  merely  a  military  post.  The  territory 
was  solely  inhabited  by  roaming  savages,  who  re- 
garded with  great  dissatisfaction  and  apprehension 
the  presence  of  armed  white  men  within  their  pre- 
cincts; fearing  still  further  encroachments  upon 
their  hunting  grounds  in  the  future,  they  resolved 
upon  the  destruction  of  the  garrison.  Their  fears 
were  confirmed  when  settlers  began  to  arrive,  and 
construct  their  homes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  '^  big 
thunder,"  as  they  called  the  fort. 

On  a  dark  night  in  the  year  1812,  the  Indians 
in  great  numbers  approached  the  fort  under  cover 
of  the  trees,  and  thick  underbrush,  which  grew  near 
it,  and  from  their  ambush,  began  an  assault  upon  it, 
at  the  same  moment  applying  the  torch  to  the 
houses  of  the  httle  village, — aU  of  which  were  laid 
in  ashes,  and  the  terror-stricken  settlers,  who  could 
not  save  themselves  by  flight  were  massacred.  The 
fort  was  saved  from  destruction  by  the  timely  ar- 
rival of  General  Harrison  and  his  forces. 

In  1815,  a  promising  httle  settlement  was  estab- 
Hshed  upon  the  site  of  the  present  city.  In  those 
early  days  the  approach  to  Ft.  Wayne  was  by  flat 
boats,  by  the  St.  Mary's  and  by  the  Maumee  Elvers. 
This  means  of  communication  continued  until  1838, 
when  it  was  terminated  by  the  construction  of  mill 


100  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

dams,  needful  for  the  growth  of  the  town.  Indians, 
hunters,  and  game,  all  made  their  way  still  further 
westward.  One  Indian  Chief,  who  had  accumulated 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars, — an  unpre- 
€edented  instance  of  Indian  economy— deposited 
his  savings  in  a  hank,  hut  as  it  was  only  a  bank  of 
earth,  with  no  further  securities  than  the  forest 
trees,  the  money  was  discovered  after  the  chief- 
tain's death,  and  duly  appropriated,  I  beheve,  by  the 
white  men  who  found  it. 

Pursuing  our  way  Westward  into  Ilhnois,  the  de- 
sire of  our  English  companions  to  see  a  vast  prai- 
rie was  gratified.  There  are  portions  of  the  State 
even  now,  thickly  settled  as  it  is,  where  broad  prai- 
ries in  their  primitive  condition  produce  only  luxu- 
riant verdure. 

For  miles  around  the  locality  in  which  we  were, 
level  and  rolling  prairie  lands  extended.  Kank 
grass  and  an  almost  endless  variety  of  beautiful 
flowers  covered  the  plain,  and  as  the  gentle  breath 
of  summer  swept  over  the  vast  tract,  old  ocean  was 
indeed  typified;  there  were  the  graceful  undula- 
tions with  passing  zephyrs,  and  the  long  ground- 
swells  with  the  stronger  breeze.  Thousands-  of 
acres  were  thus  clothed  with  herbage,  and  millions 
of  flowers  in  endless  variety  exhaled  their  sweetness 
on  the  air,  but  for  miles  around  there  was  not  a 
single  tree,  except  upon  the  site  of  the  settlement, 
where  the  land  became  gradually  elevated,  and  upon 
which  grew  in  variety,  a  large  and  beautiful  grove 
of  forest  trees,  the  wide-spreading  branches  of  which 
form  a  pleasant  shade  in  summer,  and  serve  to  mod- 
erate the  severity  of  the  winds  and  storms  of  winter. 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  101 

The  broad  expanse  soon  wearies  the  eye  by  its  mo- 
notony after  the  novelty  of  the  sight  has  worn  off. 
The  Indians  and  buffaloes  that  once  traversed  these 
plains  have  long  since  gone  to  the  land  of  the  set- 
ting sun. 

"  The  want  of  variety,  which  is  ordinarily  essen- 
tial to  landscape  attraction,  is  more  than  compen- 
sated for  in  the  prairie  scenery,  as  in  that  of  the 
boundless  ocean,  by  the  impressive  quahties  of  im- 
mensity and  power,"  says  Appleton's  American 
Travel.  "  Far  as  the  most  searching  eye  can  reach, 
the  great  unvarying  plain  rolls  on;  its  sublime 
grandeur  softened,  but  not  weakened,  by  the  occa- 
sional groups  of  trees  in  its  midst,  or  by  the  forests 
on  its  verge,  or  by  the  countless  flowers  everyw^hera 
upon  its  surface.  The  prairies  abound  in  game. 
The  prairie  duck,  sometimes  but  improperly  called 
grouse,  are  most  abundant  in  September  and  Octo- 
ber, when  large  numbers  are  annually  taken. 

^'  Perhaps  the  most  striking  picture  of  the  prairie 
country  is  to  be  found  on  Grand  Prairie.  Its  gently 
undulating  plains,  profusely  decked  with  flowers  of 
every  hue  and  skirted  on  aU  sides  by  woodland 
copse,  roll  on  through  many  long  miles  with  a 
width  varying  from  one  to  a  dozen  or  more  miles. 
The  uniform  level  of  the  prairie  region  is  supposed 
to  result  from  the  deposit  of  waters  by  which  the 
land  was  ages  ago  covered.  The  soil  is  entirely  free 
from  stones,  and  is  extremely  fertile.  The  most 
notable  characteristics  of  the  prairies,  their  destitu- 
tion of  vegetation,  excepting  in  the  multitude  of 
rank  grasses  and  flowers,  will  gradually  disappear^ 
since  nothing  prevents  the  growth  of  trees  but  the 


102  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

continual  fires  which  sweep  over  the  plains.  These 
prevented,  a  fine  growth  of  timber  soon  springs  up, 
and  as  the  wood-lands  are  thus  assisted  in  encroach- 
ing upon  and  occupying  the  plains,  settlements  and 
habitations  will  follow,  until  the  prairie  tracts  are 
over-run  with  cities  and  towns.  Excepting  the 
specialty  of  the  prairie,  the  most  interesting  land- 
scape scenery  of  this  state  is  that  of  the  bold 
acclivitous  river  shores  of  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio 
and  Illinois  Kivers." 

A  few  hours  in  Springfield,  the  State  Capital, 
enabled  us  to  visit  the  former  home  and  last  resting 
place  of  President  Lincoln,  to  whose  pure  charac- 
ter, true  and  noble  patriotism  and  distinguished 
services  for  the  Nation,  the  Nation  pays  deserved 
tribute.  Our  Enghsh  friends  were  as  lavish  of 
their  eulogies  of  the  honored  dead  as  Americans 
could  be. 

A  ride  of  seventy  miles  brought  us  to  Peoria — a 
very  beautiful  city,  situated  upon  the  west  bank  of 
the  Illinois  River,  at  the  outlet  of  Peoria  Lake  and 
192  miles  from  the  point  where  the  Ilhnois  pours 
its  waters  into  the  Mississippi.  The  city  is  built 
upon  a  plateau  extending  over  an  area  of  about 
four  square  miles,  and  is  surrounded  by  high  and 
picturesque  bluffs,  which  in  the  near  future  will 
surely  be  adorned  to  a  stiU  greater  extent  than  at 
present  with  elegant  residences. 

Standing  upon  the  margin  of  the  lake,  a  scene  of 
grandeur  and  rare  beauty  is  before  us.  The  lakelet 
at  our  feet  is  unruffled  and  glittering  where  the 
sunbeams  stealing  through  the  trees  fall  upon  it, 
while  above  us  are  precipitous  and  lofty  bluffs 
crowned  with  verdure  and  shrubbery. 


I 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  103 

As  early  as  the  year  1680,  the  French  built  a  fort 
upon  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  city,  and  estab- 
hshed  a  trading  post,  but  in  1796,  when  this  section 
of  country  came  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
United  States,  it  was  only  an  Indian  village  of  the 
Peoria  tribe.  In  1813,  Fort  Clark  was  built  near 
the  lake,  and  settlers  clustered  about  it ;  as  usual 
with  the  frontier  settlements  under  the  protection 
of  our  country's  flag,  thrift  and  prosperity  grew 
from  industry,  frugality  and  good  government.  Peo- 
ria was  the  first  settlement  on  the  river,  and  to-day 
it  is  a  lovely  httle  city  of  25,000  inhabitants. 

We  made  a  brief  visit  to  Galena,  a  city  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  State,  notable  for  its  lead 
mines,  and  interesting  to  us  as  being  the  former 
home  of  President  Grant.  Galena  is  situated  upon 
an  arm  of  the  Mississippi,  known  as  Fevre  Eiver. 
The  first  settlement  was  made  here  in  1826.  For 
many  years  mining  has  been  the  ruhng  industry  of 
the  place.  The  veins  of  mineral  in  the  vicinity  of 
Galena  run  east  and  west ;  the  crevices  which  con- 
tain it  are  usually  perpendicular,  and  from  one  foot 
to  twenty  feet  in  width.  The  masses  of  ore  are 
cubes,  hke  those  formed  by  crystalizations,  and 
many  of  them  are  geometrically  exact  in  shape. 
The  ore  at  first  is  of  a  dull  bluish  color,  but  being 
broken  it  ghstens  like  silver.  The  miners,  when 
"prospecting,"  resort  to  several  methods  to  deter- 
mine the  right  locality  for  commencing  their  labors. 
They  take  into  account  the  hnear  arrangement  of 
the  trees  of  extraordinary  size,  note  the  depressions 
in  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  many  of  them  have 
great  faith  in  the  use  of  the  hazel  wand  or  divining 
Tod. 


104 

The  impressions  of  the  traveler  concerning  the 
country  surrounding  Galena  are  not  very  favorable. 
The  hills  are  generally  destitute  of  the  luxuriant 
verdure  with  which  the  eye  has  become  so  familiar 
in  traversing  other  portions  of  the  State,  and  at  the 
first  glance  one  might  almost  fancy  that  he  was  in 
the  midst  of  a  settlement  of  Mound  Builders. 

From  "Tuttle's  Centennial  Northwest"  we  ex- 
tract the  following  description  of  the  mines  in  this 
vicinity:  "  The  yellowish  mound  is  the  waste  that 
has  to  be  dug  out  by  the  miners  in  order  that  he 
may  reach  the  ore.  There  are  some  shafts  much 
deeper  than  others ;  many  are  only  forty  feet,  while 
others  exceed  a  hundred.  But  there  is  a  loop  on  the 
end  of  the  windlass  rope,  and  one  foot  is  made  fast; 
you  have  a  tight  grasp  with  both  hands,  above  your 
head,  upon  the  faithful  support  to  which  your  life  is^ 
entrusted.  '  Lower  away '  is  the  word,  and  you  are 
going  steadily  down,  down  into  Hades  itself,  so  dark 
is  the  road  below  you.  'How  far  is  it  from  this, 
place  to  hell,'  asked  a  would-be  facetious  traveler, 
of  the  Methodist  who  tended  the  windlass.  'Let 
go  that  rope  and  you  will  be  there  in  a  minute,'  was 
the  quick,  if  not  pleasant  reply. 

"  The  air  becomes  sensibly  cooler  as  we  descend 
beyond  the  range  of  sunlight,  and  the  earth  seems 
to  close  in  around  us ;  then  there  is  a  warmth,  not 
entirely  for  want  of  ventilation,  but  an  actual  contri- 
bution of  heat  from  the  central  fires,  or  from  the  slow- 
ly cooling  rocks  which  have  retained  a  portion  of  the 
sun's  ardor,  if  not  of  his  radiance,  during  all  the 
millions  of  years  which  have  elapsed  since  the  solar 
system  was  shaped  and  set  in  motion.     We  are  down 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  105 

now  in  the  darkness,  on  solid  ground  once  more,  but 
it  is  not  entirely  dark. 

"A  man  stands  there  before  us,  with  a  candle  set 
in  a  sconce  of  clay  upon  his  head-gear,  and  if  it  were 
not  for  his  straight  hair,  his  thin  compressed  lips, 
and  the  grey  eyes  which  partially  overhaul  his  ob- 
server, it  would  be  easy  to  believe  the  miner  is  a 
*  gentleman  of  color.'  The  aspect  of  the  workman 
is  due  to  his  occupation ;  as  Shakespeare  says,  '  The 
dyer's  hand  is  subdued  to  the  color  in  which  he 
works.' 

"  The  mine  is  made  up  of  many  galleries  or  diifts, 
and  away  at  the  extremity  of  each,  there  is  a  man  at 
work  following  his  lode  of  metal  through  the  earth, 
blasting  the  rock  sometimes  to  procure  it,  and  then 
removing  the  fragments  with  his  pick,  until  he  has- 
enough  debris  to  load  a  tub  for  the  windlass  man 
on  the  surface.  Each  drift  contains  its  man,  but 
men  do  not  always  find  the  mineral  for  which  they 
are  searching.  Mining  becomes  almost  as  alluring 
a  pursuit  as  the  gaming  table  itself.  The  poor  fel- 
lows sometimes  follow  the  ignis  fatuus  luck  down 
there  out  of  the  sunhght,  month  after  month,  with- 
out procuring  lead  enough  to  pay  for  sharpening  the 
pick,  and  still  the  idea  is  powerful  as  ever  that  a 
lode  will  be  found  presently  that  will  pay  for  all  this 
labor.  The  miner  does  not  call  his  vein  a  lode — his 
term  is  'lead,'  and  very  naturally  so,  because  he 
is  led  by  it  as  far  as  the  vein  traverses  the  rock  until 
he  reaches  the  confines  of  his  claim.  His  drive  is 
from  four  to  six  feet  high,  and  from  three  to  four 
feet  wide,  without  apparently  any  timber  supports 
to  prevent  the  superincumbent  earth  from  '  caving 


106  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

in,'  and  burying  the  human  mole  at  his  work.  This 
man  has  found  lead  long,  long  ago,  and  he  allows 
you  to  see  him  at  his  work,  striking,  hfting,  driving, 
forcing  in  every  way  that  seems  most  hkely  to  effect 
his  purpose,  to  dislodge  the  mineral  from  the  crevice 
of  rock  into  which  it  is  wedged  and  fastened  as  metal 
runs  into  a  mould.  The  colors  which  flash  from  the 
treasure  as  it  stands  there  waiting  to  he  won  are 
sometimes  brilliant  as  diamonds  and  opals,  as  the 
candle  reflects  its  hght  on  a  hundred  glancing 
facets,  and  you  wish  there  were  some  richer  results 
than  lead  to  reward  the  patient  labor  of  these  sons 
of  toil;  but  when  they  win  lead  enough  to  keep 
their  families  in  comfort,  they  are  content. 

"  Gold  in  the  earth  does  not  always  look  as  brilliant 
as  the  mass  of  lead  now  before  us,  and  the  returns 
of  the.  gold-miner  are  not  nearly  as  steady  as  the 
more  moderate  earnings  of  the  lead-miner  at  Galena. 
The  one  mineral  gives  a  profit  to  its  workers  and  to 
the  Nation,  the  other  is  an  absolute  loss  to  the  com- 
munity. Mine  lead,  and  you  will  find  after  the 
wages  fund  of  the  whole  enterprise  and  all  of  its 
expenses  have  been  paid,  there  is  a  margin  of  gain 
to  be  divided  among  the  promoters.  Mine  gold,  and 
although  some  few  will  strike  '  pockets  '  and  '  jew- 
elers' shops,'  the  great  majority  of  hard-working 
and  hard-faring  men  will  not  earn  wages ;  nay,  worse 
than  that,  they  do  not  get,  in  thousands  of  cases, 
enough  to  pay  for  their  stores.  The  gold  '  finds ' 
in  Cahfornia  and  in  Australia  have  only  sold  at  the 
best  for  about  twenty  dollars  per  ounce,  and  when 
the  number  of  men  working  in  the  mines  has  been 
charged  against  the  whole  result,  at  wages  which 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         107 

would  readily  be  earned  by  easier  work  at  their  sev- 
eral trades  and  callings,  it  is  found  that  the  cost  of 
the  precious  metal  which  will  sell  at  twenty  dollars, 
is  a  httle  more  than  twenty- six  dollars  and  a  quar- 
ter. Perhaps  when  gold-mining  comes  to  be  fol- 
lowed out  more  systematically  by  skilled  workmen, 
with  the  aid  of  machinery  and  under  the  supervision 
of  able  metallurgists,  as  is  growing  to  be  every  day 
more  and  more  the  case  in  our  quartz  mines,  there 
will  be  better  results  in  that  industry  also. 

''  Certainly  gold  has  been  mined  in  the  most  reck- 
less way  that  can  be  imagined,  and  the  waste  of 
labor  and  capital  in  the  process  has  been  no  more 
than  might  be  expected  in  any  pursuit  in  which 
persons  without  special  culture  would  undertake  to 
direct  '  enterprises  of  great  pith  and  moment '  in 
which  fortunes  could  be  expended  in  a  year. 

^'  When  Galena  was  first  made  a  settlement,  there 
were  no  white  neighbors  within  a  journey  of  about 
300  miles.  Dubuque  was  mined  much  more  exten- 
sively than  any  other  locahty  in  the  northwest,  for 
this  mineral,  and  the  Frenchman  who  gave  his  name 
to  that  region  began  his  operations  in  the  last  cen- 
tury, when  Spain  still  claimed  sovereignty  over  the 
tract  of  territory  under  which  he  and  his  workmen 
pursued  their  toilful  avocation." 


108  LIP^E    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

Dubuque  and  its  Surroundings- -Alarm  of  Fire — Mike  Carrigan,  the- 
Man  for  an  Emergency— Davenport — Its  Early  History — Burling- 
ton—Keokuk -  Quincy  —  Moonlight  on  the  Eiver — Arrival  at  St. 
Louis. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi— the  "  Messipi  "  of  the  Indians — whose  swift* 
flowing  waters  form  the  eastern  boundary  of  Iowa — 
which  embraces  an  area  of  55,000  square  miles — the 
same  size  as  lUinois.  low^a  is  a  state  of  the  great- 
est fertihty,  and  presents  a  most  pleasing  variety  of 
elevations  and  depressions,  picturesque  bluffs,  bold 
cliffs,  stately  forests,  broad  prairies  and  beautiful 
rivers.  The  greatest  elevation  is  in  the  northwest- 
ern part  of  the  State — a  portion  we  may  see  in  our 
ascent  of  the  Missouri,  which  forms  its  western 
boundary.  The  site  now  occupied  by  the  city  of 
Des  Moines,  the  State  Capital,  was  formerly  the 
place  where  the  Iowa  tribe  of  Indians  held  their 
councils  to  consider  matters  of  very  grave  impor- 
tance, no  doubt,  such  as  the  best  way  of  carving 
human  scalps  and  flaying  white  men,  but  they  have 
long  since  passed  to  the  "  happy  hunting  grounds." 
Their  name  alone  remains  and  that  wiU  ever  be  per- 
petuated by  the  name  of  the  flourishing  and  pros- 
perous State. 

Crossing  the  bridge  which  spans  the  river,  con- 
necting Iowa  with  Ilhnois — a  substantial  structure 
of  stone  and  iron,  a  third  of  a  mile  in  length,  built- 


SCENE  ON  THE  MISSISSIPri. 


110 

in  1865,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  three- quarters  of  a  mil- 
lion dollars — we  found  ourselves  in  the  beautiful  and 
busy  city  of  Dubuque,  claiming,  and  justly  so  I  should 
say,  a  population  of  40,000.  No  locahty  upon  the 
river  could  present  more  natural  advantages  for  a 
city,  none  could  be  more  picturesque,  interesting 
and  grandly  beautiful  than  that  upon  which  the  city 
is  situated.  Rising  gradually  from  the  river  bank 
and  extending  back  for  perhaps  half-a-mile,  is  a 
plateau  or  table  land,  upon  which  the  business  por- 
tion of  the  city  stands.  Upon  wide  and  cleanly 
streets  are  imposing  buildings — stores,  warehouses, 
factories  and  shops  of  all  kinds,  elegant  public  build- 
ings and  many  fine  residences.  A  semi-circular 
range  of  bluffs  rises  to  an  altitude  of  nearly  250 
feet  above  the  river,  the  highlands  being  adorned 
with  dehghtful  residences  and  their  ornamental  sur- 
roundings. 

Standing  upon  these  bluffs,  a  scene  strangely  grand 
and  beautiful  is  before  you.  The  river,  flowing 
majestically  from  its  home  in  the  hills  of  the  north, 
bearing  on  its  bosom  the  wealth  of  the  country, 
may  be  seen  for  miles,  with  its  arms  and  indenta- 
tions, its  promontories,  and  banks  fringed  with  the 
foliage  of  grand  old  trees  that  have  shaded  from  the 
sultry  summer's  sun  and  winter's  storms  the  red 
men  and  the  early  voyageurs,  and  now  standing  in 
silent  wonder  for  the  white  man's  miracles  of  pro- 
gress and  masterly  achievements. 

This  region  of  country  is  singularly  picturesque 
and  vastly  interesting  to  the  traveler,  the  naturahst 
and  the  antiquarian.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  city,  the  country  is  exceedingly  rough — almost^ 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  Ill 

mountainous.  Bold  cliffs,  their  summits  revealing^ 
solid,  regular  strata  of  rock,  which  may  be  fre- 
quently seen  shooting  up  into  towers  and  spires 
and  fantastic  forms,  frown  on  every  side,  between 
which  are  wooded  ravines,  scarcely  penetrable  to 
the  eye.  As  I  have  said,  the  city  stands  in  a  semi- 
circle of  these  stupendous  bluffs  fronting  the  river. 

Dubuque  has  had  an  eventful  history,  for  the  de- 
tails of  which,  however,  we  have  not  space.  About 
the  year  1786,  Juhan  Dubuque,  a  French  Canadian, 
first  visited  the  country.  At  a  council  held  at  Prai- 
rie du  Chien,  in  1788,  the  Indians — the  Sac  and  Fox 
tribes — conferred  upon  Dubuque — whom  they  called 
Petite  Nuit,  (Little  Night) — permission  to  work  the 
lead  mines,  and  made  him  a  grant  of  140,000  acres 
of  land.  This  title  was  confirmed  by  the  Spanish 
government,  and  the  grant  was  designated  as  '^  The 
Mines  of  Spain." 

A  stone  monument  upon  a  high  bluff,  a  mile  or  two 
below  the  city,  now  marks  the  final  resting  place  of 
Juhan  Dubuque.  The  land  grant  was  most  mag- 
nanimous upon  the  part  of  the  Indians ;  but  while 
their  hatreds  are  enduring,  their  friendships  are' not 
apt  to  be  proof  against  all  hfe's  vicissitudes,  and  they 
have  been  known  to  forget  their  assurances  of  amity 
almost  before  the  smoke  of  the  calumet  had  van- 
ished.  After~Dubuque's  death,  the  Indians  burnt 
his  house  and  erased  every  vestige  of  civihzed  life ; 
he  had  many  friends,  however,  whose  attachment 
was  evinced  by  covering  his  tomb  with  sheet  lead. 
A  cedar  cross  still  marks  the  place  of  his  burial. 

No  permanent  white  settlement  was  begun  upon 
the  site   of  the  present  city  until  1833.     To  that 


112  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

period  it  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Indian  tribes — 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  the  government  of  the 
United  States  would  not  allow  them  to  be  disturbed. 
In  1830,  a  party  of  lead  miners  who  went  thither  in 
spite  of  the  government's  prohibition — and  who 
were  driven  away  by  the  United  States'  troops  com- 
manded by  Col.  Zachary  Taylor — found  that  the 
Indians  had  abandoned  the  place.  Tuttle,  the  his- 
torian, tells  us  in  his  "  Centennial  Northwest,"  that 
^'the  stalks  of  the  last  year's  corn  waved  over  the 
present  site  of  Dubuque,  and  for  miles  on  either  side. 
The  village  of  Indians  which  had  subsisted  for  many 
years  at  the  mouth  of  Catfish  Creek,  had  been 
broken  up  for  some  mysterious  reason,  and  the  re- 
mains of  the  old  wigwams  alone  told  of  the  genera- 
tions of  red  men  that  had  come  and  gone.  There 
were  the  wrecks  of  furnaces  in  which  the  feasts  of 
the  tribes  had  been  prepared  on  great  occasions,  and 
in  a  council  room  which  had  witnessed  many  gather- 
ings to  discuss  the  relative  merits  of  war  and  peace, 
there  were  rude  paintings,  intended  to  delineate  and 
immortahze  the  deeds  of  the  braves."  This  coun- 
cil 'house  with  its  mementoes,  which  should  have 
been  preserved,  was  destroyed  by  those  Huns  and 
Yandals  who  early  went  to  Dubuque,  and  who  ren- 
dered the  greatest  service  to  the  place  by  quitting  it. 
At  Dubuque  we  took  passage  upon  a  steamer  for 
St.  Louis.  The  weather  was  dehghtful,  and  as  I 
admired  the  scenery  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  my 
companions  busied  themselves  with  their  note  books, 
till  the  occurrence  of  an  exciting  incident  fraught 
with  serious  results  to  Mr.  Barstow,  our  artist,  for 
by  it  his  sketches  of  localities  visited,  some  of  which 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  113 

were  especially  fine,  and  destined  for  friends  across 
the  ocean,  were  utterly  ruined,  by  the  careless- 
ness of  a  passenger  in  throwing  down  a  hghted 
cigar ;  a  paper  with  which  it  came  in  contact  was 
quickly  in  flames.  An  alarm  of  fire  was  instantly, 
but  needlessly  given,  for  in  an  instant  the  paper  was 
seized  and  throwTi  overboard.  Although  no  harm 
whatever  resulted  from  the  flames,  the  greatest  con- 
sternation prevailed  among^those  who  were  ignorant 
of  the  facts.  Mike  Carrigan,  an  Irish  servant,  who 
accompanied  the  Enghsh  gentlemen,  rushed  franti- 
cally to  their  state-room  with  the  purpose  of  saving 
the  baggage,  and  in  his  haste  overturned  a  bottle  of 
ink  upon  Mr.  Barstow's  sketches,  ruining  them  aU; 
but  as  only  a  part  of  the  ink  was  lost,  he  meant  to 
save  the  remaining  quantity  at  all  hazards,  even  if 
he  should  peril  his  life  in  the  attempt.  He  hastily 
thrust  the  ink-bottle — neglecting  to  cork  it — into 
the  satchel,  then  cramming  in  the  sketches,  and 
whatever  hnen  he  could  find,  brushed  away  the 
gathering  perspiration  that  was  bhnding  him,  and, 
satchel  in  hand,  rushed  upon  deck,  just  in  time  to 
learn  that  it  was  a  false  alarm,  and  to  turn  the  inci- 
dent into  a  scene  of  merriment  by  his  grotesque  ap- 
pearance, his  face  being  covered  with  the  best  black 
ink,  "  warranted  to  grow  blacker  upon  exposure  to 
the  light  and  air,"  and  httle  rivulets  of  ink  percolat- 
ing through  the  satchel. 

"  What  are  yees  all  laughing  at?"  asked  Mike,  in 
astonishment  and  indignation,  his  flashing  eye  and 
red  and  black  face  making  his  appearance  still  more 
ludicrous ;  and  as  his  question  was  only  answered  by 
shouts  of  laughter,  he  added:     '^Beggory,  it's  be- 

8 


114 

cause  I  brought  my  masther's  summer  clothes  wid 
me.  If  yees  had  all  been  burnt  to  death  ahve  ye'd 
now  be  afther  wishin'  ye'd  brought  your  own  sum- 
mer clothes,"  he  said,  with  a  sly  wink  and  a  nod; 
and  with  this  hint  of  prospective  purgatory  he  made 
his  exit. 

When  within  a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles  of 
Davenport,  we  passed  the  upper  rapids  of  the  Miss- 
issippi, which,  at  a  low  stage  of  water,  seriously 
impede  navigation.  Davenport,  as  the  reader  is 
aware,  is  one  of  the  chief  cities  of  Iowa.  It  may  be 
regarded  as  the  principal  city,  in  view  of  its  import- 
ance in  a  commercial  point  of  view.  It  is  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  distant  230  miles  from  St. 
Louis,  in  close  proximity  to  Eock  Island,  Illinois, 
with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  bridge. 

The  view  of  the  city  of  Davenport,  as  we  ap- 
proached it,  was  strikingly  beautiful.  The  city  is 
built  upon  an  inclined  plain  a  mile  or  two  in  width, 
and  extending  from  the  river  point  back  to  a  range 
of  very  high  bluffs,  the  slopes  of  which  are  dotted 
here  and  there  with  elegant  residences,  while  gar- 
dens, orchards,  shade  trees  and  lawns  present  a  scene 
of  beauty.  At  a  little  distance  from  the  city,  per- 
haps three  or  four  miles,  the  bluffs  open  into  Pleas- 
ant YaUey,  as  the  prairie  is  called,  and  the  name  is 
most  appropriate.  The  diversity  of  the  scenery  and 
striking  contrasts  from  the  majestic  elevations,  to 
level  and  to  rolling  tracts  covered  with  verdure,  all 
form  a  picture  which  once  witnessed  will  not  soon 
fade  from  memory. 

The  gray  hmestone  which  underlies  the  city,  crops 
out  on  the  river  bank,  and  in  places  there  are  pre- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  115 

cipitous  cHffs  which  rise  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet 
or  more.  In  this  hmestone  formation,  have  been 
found  cornehans  and  agates  of  remarkable  beauty. 

The  city  has  a  population  of  about  thirty  thou- 
sand, and  is  notable  for  its  extensive  manufactures 
of  various  kinds,  among  which  are  superior  cotton 
fabrics,  etc.  Everything  in  and  about  the  city  de- 
notes thrift,  prosperity  and  remarkable  enterprise. 
Its  history,  from  its  incorporation  in  1838,  to  the 
present  time,  has  been  most  gratifying,  and  reflects 
the  highest  credit  upon  its  people.  The  city  was 
named  in  honor  of  Colonel  Davenport,  an  Enghsh- 
man  by  birth,  but  an  officer  of  the  American  army  in 
the  war  of  1812.  His  hfe  was  an  eventful  one ;  his 
noble  quahties  endeared  him  to  hosts  of  friends,  but 
few  men  of  real  force  of  character  are  without  ene- 
mies as  weU  as  friends ;  Colonel  Davenport,  in  his  old 
age,  was  assassinated  in  his  own  house  in  Eock 
Island. 

Some  fifty  miles  down  the  river,  we  arrive  at  Bur- 
Hngton,  a  pretty  and  flourishing  city  built  in  a  val- 
ley and  upon  a  slope  of  hills,  in  the  midst  of  one  of 
the  best  farming  regions  of  the  State.  It  presents 
a  striking  appearance  upon  its  approach,  and  in  its 
topography  differs  from  the  cities  higher  up  the 
river.  There  are,  however,  bluffs  in  the  vicinity 
having  an  elevation  of  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet. 
For  its  commercial  as  weU  as  for  its  manufactur- 
ing interests  it  ranks  deservedly  high,  and  has  aU 
the  elements  for  attaining  still  greater  importance. 
It  is  nearly  the  equal  of  Davenport  in  population, 
but  its  growth  is  not  remarkably  rapid  in  compari- 
son to  some  other  of   our  western  cities.    At  the 


116 

time  of  the  organization  of  the  state  government 
of  Iowa  in  1838  it  was  the  capital,  but  in  1839  the 
seat  of  government  was  removed  to  Iowa  City,  and 
later  to  Des  Moines. 

Passing  Fort  Madison,  the  county  seat  of  Lee 
County,  Iowa,  and  Nauvoo  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river — the  latter  place  being  notable  for  its  Mor- 
mon associations,  the  kilhng  of  the  notorious  Joe 
Smith,  the  Mormon  leader,  and  outrages  by  and 
upon  the  ''Saints"  prior  to  their  exodus  to  the 
^'  Holy  Land  " — we  reach  the  city  of  Keokuk — ''  the 
Gate  City  of  Iowa," — so  called  from  its  position,  it 
being  at  the  head  of  navigation  for  large  vessels  on 
the  Mississippi,  and  two  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Des  Moines  Kiver,  at  the  foot  of  the  lower  rapids  of 
the  Mississippi,  which  are  twelve  miles  in  extent, 
with  a  fall  in  that  distance  of  about  twenty-five 
feet,  over  ledges  of  rock.  A  canal  would  greatly 
conduce  to  the  general  prosperity,  and  wiU  no  doubt 
in  early  time  be  constructed.  The  city  was  first 
laid  out  in  1837,  and  now  has  a  population  of  nearly 
25,000.  It  is  one  of  the  most  fiourishing  and  enter- 
prising of  our  western  cities.  Its  foundries,  flour- 
miUs,  and  many  other  industries  give  to  it  deserved 
distinction. 

The  city  is  built  at  the  base  and  upon  the  summit 
of  a  high  blufi,  and  its  buildings,  both  public  and 
private,  evince  a  high  degree  of  taste  and  refine- 
ment of  its  citizens.  A  bridge  nearly  2,300  feet  in 
length  extends  from  the  city  across  the  river.  Keo- 
kuk takes  its  name  from  an  Indian  chief  who,  during 
the  Black  Hawk  war,  was  a  friend  to  the  settlers. 
The  name  signifies  "  the  watchful  fox." 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  117 

Beautiful  river !  Lovely  and  picturesque  scenery ! 
What  marvelous  results  of  enterprise !  These  and 
similar  expressions  of  surprise  and  deliglit  have  been 
uttered  a  hundred  times  and  more  by  our  passen- 
gers, as  the  steamer  has  pursued  her  course  from 
our  place  of  starting,  and  constantly  disclosed  new 
scenes  for  wonder  and  admiration,  yet  these  phrases 
but  faintly  express  our  astonishment  and  pleasure 
as  we  gazed  upon  this  delightful  panorama. 

Fancy  peopled  the  banks  with  red  men  in  their 
sylvan  home,  reposing  in  listless  idleness  or  pad- 
dhng  their  hght  canoes  upon  the  river's  bosom ;  the 
voices  of  their  wives  and  httle  ones  seemed  to  echo 
from  the  shady  copse  upon  the  far  hillside,  as  in 
quietude  and  peace  they  chanted  the  legends  of  the 
brave^a  people  worshipping  the  very  trees  that 
sheltered  them,  their  hunting-grounds  that  supphed 
their  simple  needs,  and  with  a  faith  that  puts  to 
shame  the  infidehty  of  many  Christian  people,  attrib- 
uting all  the  good  that  came  to  them  to  the  Great 
Spirit.  They  hved,  they  loved,  they  hated,  they 
have  gone.  The  visions  of  shadowy  forms  are  but 
reflections  of  over-hanging  trees  that  skirt  the 
river's  bank;  the  voices  are  the  songs  of  the  glad 
husbandman,  gleaning  his  bountiful  harvest,  and 
the  gleeful  shouts  of  his  children  about  the  cottage 
door. 

We  are  now  approaching  Quincy — the  county  seat 
of  Adams — the  county  in  which,  as  the  reader  will 
remember,  are  very  remarkable  mounds  and  fortifi- 
cations similar  to  those  we  saw  in  Ohio;  but  we 
have  not  the  time  now  for  antiquarian  researches — 
our  business  is  with  the  hving  and  busy  present; 


118  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

and  animated  and  bustling  enough  is  the  scene  now 
before  us  and  before  the  beautiful  city  of  Quincy, 
from  its  elevation  on  the  grand  old  bluffs  that  rise 
more  than  a  hundred  feet  above  the  majestic  river, 
affording  delightful  views  of  the  surroundings  to  the 
tourist  and  the  forty  or  fifty  thousand  people  who 
are  proud,  as  who  would  not  be  to  call  this  charm- 
ing city  home. 

Below  us,  as  we  stand  upon  the  summit  of  the 
bluffs,  are  the  river  landings  with  steamers  receiv- 
ing and  discharging  their  wealth  of  boxes,  bales, 
barrels,  and  crates  of  freight.  Yonder  is  a  beautiful 
bridge  extending  across  the  river;  there  the  Court 
House,  of  fine  architectural  proportions,  and  very 
many  imposing  edifices  for  business,  and  scores  of 
elegant  residences ;  there  we  see  incoming  and  out- 
going railway  trains  on  roads  that  radiate  from  the 
city  in  all  directions;  we  count  a  couple- of- dozen 
church  spires,  and  many  school-houses,  and  to  what- 
ever point  we  turn  our  eyes — stretching  beyond  the 
range  of  sight,  are  grounds  of  great  fertilty  with 
their  golden  plush  of  grain,  thrifty  orchards  laden 
with  ripening  fruit,  and  gardens  of  rare  beauty. 
The  air  is  balmy  and  refreshing ;  the  city  surely  is 
healthful  as  well  as  busy. 

The  city  was  named  in  honor  of  John  Quincy 
Adams.  It  was  first  settled  in  1822,  at  which  time 
there  were  but  three  white  men  in  the  entire  county. 
Even  Daniel  Boone,  had  he  been  one  of  them, 
wrould  not  have  complained  of  being  over-crowded 
by  his  neighbors.  The  grist-mill  nearest  the  new 
settlement  was  forty  miles  away — rather  a  hard  way 
to  get  a  hving ;  the  settlers  surely  earned  their  daily 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  119 

bread.  At  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  in 
1832,  the  settlement  rapidly  increased  in  numbers. 
The  present  of  Quincy  is  most  prosperous, — her 
future  is  full  of  grand  possibihties  and  probabilities 
from  which  the  enterprise  of  her  people  will  de- 
velope  certain  reahties. 

We  are  now  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  miles 
from  St.  Louis  and  the  City  of  Quincy,  long  to  be 
remembered,  is  receding  from  our  view  as  the  river 
winds  its  way  around  a  promontory  upon  the  east- 
ern shore. 

Our  last  view  of  the  city  was  at  sunset  of  a 
glorious  day  in  mid-summer.  The  lingering  twihght 
gave  an  inexpressible  charm  to  the  river  scenery, 
which,  however,  was  intensified  a  little  later  when 
the  full  moon  rose  above  the  horizon.  The  fleecy 
clouds  had  floated  by,  the  soft  moonlight  shone  in 
splendor,  and  the  river  glistened  and  sparkled  hke 
polished  silver.  The  tall  and  stately  trees  upon  the 
bank  cast  fantastic  shadows  upon  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  occasionally  some  jutting  chfi",  or 
spur  of  grayish  rock  would  loom  grandly  up,  seem- 
ing by  our  swift,  but  gentle  motion  to  approach, 
like  a  giant  sentinel  to  challenge  our  advance. 
Stillness  reigned,  broken  only  by  the  barking  of  a 
house-dog  from  some  lone  cabin  in  the  distance, 
and  by  the  gloomy  cries  of  night  birds  from  some 
nearer  thicket  of  tangled  w^ild-wood.  The  scene 
was  singularly  beautiful  and  impressive. 

We  passed  the  city  of  Hannibal,  Missouri,  and 
several  points  of  lesser  importance,  and  after  a  pas- 
sage made  in  unusually  quick  time,  we  arrived  at 
St.  Louis. 


120 


LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 


CHAPTEE  YII. 

Members  of  the  Party — Departure  for  the  "Far  West" — Scenery  along- 
the  River— A  Thrilling  Night  Adventure — A  Ride  for  Life— Furious 
Men  and  Ferocious  Beasts— Off  for  the  Plains. 


The  gentlemen  who 
had  preceded  us  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  a 
steamer  of  hght  draught 
for  our  expedition,  had 
been  successful;  they 
had  chartered  a  small 
boat  — the  "Elliot"  — 
that  had  been  engaged 
in  the  Bed  Eiver  trade, 
but  had  just  been  with- 
drawn. She  w^as  as  trim 
and  staunch  as  any 
steamer  of  her  size  that 
ever  left  the  port.  They 
had  also  engaged  the 
services  of  two  hunters 
of  great  experience  and 
other  essential  qualifi- 
cations, among  which 
were  extraordinary  phy- 
sical strength,  and  if 
their  declarations  might 
be  credited,  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  re- 
gions we  proposed  to 
visit.     They  silenced 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  121 

our  scepticism  upon  this  point  by  declaring  in  em- 
phatic language,  some  of  which  is  not  to  be  found 
in  my  vocabulary,  that  they  "  knew  every  foot  of 
the  ground  "  of  our  route.  Their  names  were  Pet- 
tibone  and  Nichols.  They  were  both  a  little  past 
middle  hfe,  and  for  nearly  twenty  years  had  been 
companions  in  the  venturesome  and  arduous  em- 
ployment of  hunting  and  trapping,  and  had  occa- 
sionally served  as  interpreters  for  white  men  in  their 
relations  with  several  of  the  western  Indian  tribes ; 
— wdth  all  the  good  qualities  and  as  small  a  number 
of  vices  as  ever  characterized  men  of  their  vocation. 
Their  services  proved  invaluable  to  us  throughout 
our  journey. 

Mr.  Barstow  had  spent  a  year  in  Manitoba,  and 
therefore  knew  something  of  the  Indian  character. 
Neither  Mr.  Warrington  nor  I  had  been  west  of  the 
Mississippi.  Mr.  Merideth  was  a  New  Orleans 
merchant.  Messrs.  Trask  and  Hervey  were  both 
Kentuckians,  both  remarkably  expert  in  the  use  of 
the  rifle,  and  both  had  seen  the  mountains  of  Mon- 
tana. It  had  been  my  good  fortune  to  have  long 
and  intimately  known  all  the  gentlemen  of  our 
party,  w^hom  I  now  take  great  pleasure  in  introdu- 
cing to  the  reader. 

On  the  afternoon  of  August  1st  we  went  on  board 
the  "  Elliot,"  and  were  soon  gliding  down  the  river. 
An  hour-and-a-quarter  after  our  departure,  we  had 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri — a  distance  of 
twenty  miles  from  St.  Louis — and  were  well  satis- 
fied with  the  speed  of  our  httle  steamer.  This 
point,  as  the  reader  is  aware,  is  1,270  miles  distant 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.     The  length  of  the  Mis- 


122  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

sonri  above  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi  is 
3,100  miles,  and  from  its  source  to  the  Gulf  its  length 
is  4,350  miles — the  longest  river  in  the  world.  Eis- 
ing  in  the  Eocky  Mountains,  in  the  northwest  part 
of  Montana,  flowing  east  tiU  it  reaches  Dakota, 
passing  through  the  middle  of  that  Territory,  form- 
ing the  eastern  boundary  of  Nebraska  and  a  part  of 
Kansas,  the  river  then  runs  almost  due  east  through 
the  upper  third  of  Missouri,  till  it  finally  reaches 
the  Mississippi.  It  affords  an  uninterrupted  line  of 
steamboat  navigation  to  the  Great  Falls,  3,000  miles 
irom  the  gulf.  The  Missouri  and  its  tributaries 
drain  a  greater  extent  of  territory  than  any  other 
system  of  rivers  in  the  world;  and  in  addition  to 
this,  its  valley  is  more  productive  and  capable  of  sus- 
taining a  greater  population  than  any  other  region 
of  equal  area. 

The  Indians  call  the  Missouri  the  ''  Big  Muddy," 
a  very  appropriate  if  not  elegant  name.  At  the  con- 
fluence of  the  two  grand  rivers,  the  view  is  very 
beautiful.  There  are  no  high  bluffs,  but  the  tall 
sycamore,  birch  and  cottonwood  trees  that  over- 
hang the  banks  and  cast  dark  shadows  upon  the  wa- 
ters beneath,  is  a  scene  of  beauty,  and  especially  by 
moonhght.  A  thousand  brilliant  stars  twinkle  in 
the  sky  above,  and  a  thousand  brilhant  gems  are  re- 
flected in  the  expanse  of  waters  beneath  us.  The 
wavelets  that  sparkle  so  brightly  seem  to  recede, 
and  the  waters  to  spring  from  an  inexhaustible 
fountain  beneath  us,  flowing  silently  on  in  their  mis- 
sions forever. 

The  first  point  of  interest  on  the  Missouri  is  the 
city  of  St.  Charles,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  west  of 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  123 

the  Mississippi,  and  a  place  of  considerable  commer- 
cial importance.  It  is  situated  on  elevated  ground, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  contains  a  popu- 
lation of  about  8,000.  It  was  settled  by  the 
French,  in  1764.  A  substantial  iron  bridge  here 
■spans  the  river.  Formerly  the  cars  of  the  North 
Missouri  Kailroad,  that  now  run  over  it,  were  trans- 
ported from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other  in 
boats.  Many  manufacturing  estabhshments  are  lo- 
cated here,  and  in  every  respect  St.  Charles  will  fa- 
vorably compare  with  any  city  of  its  size  in  the 
West. 

Passing  Hermann,  the  capital  of  Gasconade  Coun- 
ty, which  is  seventy  miles  above  St.  Charles,  we 
soon  reach  the  mouths  of  the  Gasconade  and  Osage 
rivers,  both  of  which  flow  in  from  the  south.  The 
latter  is  navigable  for  steamboats  for  more  than  two 
hundred  miles.  Ten  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Osage  is  Jefferson  City,  the  Capital  of  Missouri. 

The  city  is  situated  on  a  blufl  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  river,  155  miles  distant  from  St.  Louis.  The 
capitol,  which  occupies  a  prominent  site  on  a  high 
bluff  near  the  river,  is  a  magniffcent  structure,  and 
was  built  at  a  cost  of  a  quarter-of-a-miUion  dol- 
lars. The  city  contains  a  population  of  about  5,000. 
Apart  from  being  the  Capital  of  the  State,  Jefferson 
City  is  of  but  little  importance.  Many  of  the  neigh- 
boring towns  surpass  it  in  commerce  and  manufac- 
tures. The  river  here  is  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
width,  but  is  very  deep  and  rapid. 

Steaming  on,  up  the  river,  we  are  charmed  by  the 
picturesqueness  and  grandeur  of  the  scenery.  Rocky 
bluffs  rise  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge  to  the 


124  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

height  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Clambering^ 
vines,  adorned  with  beautiful  and  fragrant  flowers, 
creep  out  from  the  crevices  in  the  walls  and  cover 
them  with  delicate  drapery.  We  pass  long  reaches 
of  glittering  white  sand  that  has  been  washed 
hither  by  the  swift  current  of  the  waters.  On  the 
low  ''Bottom  Lands"  there  are  immense  fields  of 
corn  ripening  for  the  harvest.  Long  lines  of  wil- 
lows lave  their  slender  branches  in  the  flowing^ 
stream,  and  wherever  we  look,  the  eye  is  delighted 
with  a  scene  of  beauty. 

Boonville,  the  county  seat  of  Cooper  County,  is 
situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  This  coun- 
ty is  one  of  the  richest  in  the  State  for  agriculture, 
and  for  its  deposits  of  iron,  coal,  lead  and  marble. 
This  city  formerly  controlled  the  entire  trade  of  the 
Southwest.  One  of  the  battles  of  the  late  war  was 
fought  here,  but  such  was  the  skill  of  the  contend- 
ing forces,  that  nobody  was  hurt. 

The  low^  bottom  lands  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  are  very  liable  to  inundation,  and  during  a 
freshet  the  river  at  this  point  is  truly  majestic. 
The  low  lands,  about  six  miles  in  width,  are  then 
entirely  inundated,  appearing  hke  a  vast  lake. 

We  pass  on  from  BoonviUe  in  full  view  of  some  of 
the  most  fertile  and  highly  cultivated  land  in  the 
State.  Cooper  and  Saline  Counties  on  the  south, 
and  Howard  County  on  the  north  of  the  river.  Ten 
years  ago  these  three  counties  yielded  a  million 
bushels  of  wheat.  On  the  rich  bottom  lands  the 
soil  is  twenty  feet  deep.  The  immense  fields  of 
hemp  are  enough  to  strike  terror  to  the  hearts  of 
the  boldest  highwaymen. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  125 

Swinging  around  a  large  bend  in  the  river,  the 
beautiful  little  city  of  Glasgow,  Howard  County, 
bursts  suddenly  into  view.  It  stands  upon  a  bluff 
and  presents  a  fine  appearance  from  the  river.  It 
was  here  that  General  Green,  of  the  Confederate 
army,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  after  displaying  great  skill 
in  eluding  a  superior  Union  force,  effected  a  cross- 
ing of  the  river  and  joined  General  Price  in  the 
siege  of  Lexington.  A  short  distance  below  the 
city  is  a  large  and  dangerous  bar  of  quicksand,  into 
which  a  man  will  instantly  sink  to  his  waist. 

Flowing  in  from  the  north,  a  httle  beyond  Glas- 
gow is  the  Chariton  river.  The  steamer  made  a 
landing  at  Brunswick,  at  some  distance  above,  and 
I  availed  myseK  of  the  opportunity  of  making  a 
hasty  visit  to  an  old  classmate,  who  hved  a  few 
miles  north  of  the  river.  The  visit  was  an  experi- 
ence never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  locality  in  which  my  friend  was  estabhshed 
in  practice,  was  a  httle  settlement  two  or  three 
miles  from  the  Chariton  Eiver,  with  the  most  un- 
promising outlook  for  future  greatness.  I  arrived, 
at  length,  after  a  long  and  hard  drive  over  some  of 
the  worst  roads  I  had  ever  passed  and  which  more 
than  once  caused  me  to  regret  the  undertaking. 

The  shades  of  night  were  closing  around  causing 
the  tall  Cottonwood  trees,  which  were  outlined 
against  the  murky  sky,  to  resemble  giant  sentinels 
standing  guard  over  the  forest,  when  a  horseman 
appeared  in  sight  riding  at  fuU  speed  toward  the 
settlement,  and  came  dashing  up  to  the  Doctor's 
cabin ;  his  appearance  betrayed  intense  excitement, 
while  his  horse  was  flecked  with  foam,  having  evi- 


126  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

dently  made  a  long  and  rapid  j ourney .  He  hurriedly 
informed  the  Doctor  that  there  had  been  a  fight 
between  two  of  "the  boys"  at  Post's  Mills;  that 
both  had  been  "  shot  all  to  pieces,"  and  the  Doc- 
tor's presence  was  desired  forthwith.  This  demand 
for  the  Doctor's  attendance  was  a  remarkable  ex- 
pression of  confidence  in  the  skill  of  my  friend, 
implying  very  miraculous  power  for  which  I  had 
never  given  him  credit.  It  was  evident  that  some 
terrible  affair  had  indeed  occurred,  and  considering 
the  rash  temper  of  many  of  the  frequenters  of  the 
Mills,  it  was  not  at  all  unhkely  that  there  had  been 
bloody  work.  The  Doctor  had  long  resided  in  that 
vicinity,  knew  well  the  character  of  the  people 
there,  and  had  often  been  called  to  such  scenes  of 
strife  and  bloodshed. 

I  volunteered  to  accompany  him,  an  offer  he 
gladly  accepted.  We  buckled  on  our  revolvers, 
mounted  our  horses,  and  under  the  guidance  of 
the  stranger  dashed  off  through  the  fast-increasing 
gloom. 

The  sun  had  gone  down  behind  a  heavy  mass  of 
threatening  clouds,  and  the  "night  was  quite  dark, 
but  those  accustomed  to  travehng  by  night  soon 
gain  the  power  to  penetrate  even  a  degree  of  dark- 
ness, and  we  urged  on  our  horses  in  safety,  but  not 
without  difficulty. 

The  locahty  where  the  affair  had  transpired, 
which  created  so  much  excitement,  was  on  an  arm 
of  the  Chariton  river,  on  the  west  side — a  place 
known  as  Post's  Mills,  eight  miles,  at  least,  beyond 
the  river.  A  darker  and  more  lonely  road  could 
not  be  found,  even  in  this  wild  region  of  country — 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  127 

the  wildest  in  the  State.  It  lay  through  dark  and 
dismal  woods,  abounding  with  wild  animals  and 
often  traversed  hy  desperate  men. 

We  pushed  onward  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  river,  we  led  our  horses  on  board  of  a 
small  flat-boat  which  the  messenger  had,  with  dif- 
ficulty, ferried  over  and  moored, — the  old  ferryman 
not  being  at  his  post.  Using  the  clumsy  oars  with 
a  will,  we  soon  reached  the  opposite  shore,  then 
mounting  our  horses  again,  we  arrived  at  the  MiUs 
after  another  hard  ride.  The  Doctor's  visit  was 
useless,  for  one  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  affray 
was  dead,  and  the  other  was  mortally  wounded — 
the  messenger's  statement  at  the  Doctor's  cabin 
having  been  hterally  true.  It  required  but  a  single 
glance  to  know  that  the  man's  moments  of  Hfe  were 
numbered.  The  Doctor  rendered  the  sufferer  as 
comfortable  as  possible,  and  in  compliance  with  the 
whispered  request,  promised  to  write  to  the  man's^ 
friends  in  Yirginia. 

Never  will  the  scenes  of  that  night  be  forgotten. 
In  a  low  and  comfortless  room,  upon  a  cot,  lay  the 
dying  man,  and  there  about  him  stood  a  hah-dozen 
rough-looking  men,  who  evidently  were  ever  ready 
for  strife  and  deadly  encounters  upon  the  slightest 
provocation,  but  now  awed  into  silence  hy  the  pres- 
ence of  ghastly  death.  The  dim  hght  of  a  sohtary 
candle,  standing  upon  a  block  that  served  as  a  table, 
made  the  figures  weird  and  terrible,  while  the  low 
rumbhng  of  distant  thunder  presaging  a  coming 
storm,  and  the  vivid  flashes  of  hghtning  that  at 
times  illuminated  the  room,  rendered  the  scene  im- 
pressive and  awful.  The  Doctor  turned  away,  for 
the  man  was  dead. 


128  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

The  storm,  which  had  been  gathering  for  several 
hours,  now  burst  in  all  its  fury ;  the  tall  trees  with 
their  huge  branches  swayed  and  trembled  in  the 
blast,  hke  the  masts  of  some  fragile  vessel  in  a  gale ; 
the  Ughtning  hissed  through  the  air,  and  the  artil- 
lery of  heaven  sent  forth  peal  after  peal  that  made 
the  very  earth  tremble. 

While  we  waited  for  the  storm  to  abate,  one  of 
the  men  related  the  circumstances  attending  the 
duel  which  had  ended  in  the  death  of  the  combat- 
ants. The  men  were  drinking  whisky  and  playing 
cards,  when  a  dispute  arose  between  them,  and  a 
duel  instantly  took  place,  with  pistols,  at  a  distance 
of  six  paces.  It  was  a  deadly  contest  between  two 
desperate  men,  who  regarded  an  imputation  upon 
their  ''honor"  an  offense  which  could  only  be  ex- 
piated by  resort  to  duelling. 

By  the  time  the  man  had  finished  his  account  of 
the  horrible  affair,  the  storm  had  abated  sufficiently 
to  allow^  us  to  depart.  We  mounted  our  horses  and 
started  homeward.  Eiding  in  silence,  making  our 
way  along  the  road,  which  was  frequently  obstruct- 
ed by  trees  that  had  been  prostrated  by  the  furious 
storm,  we  meditated  upon  the  scene  we  had  just 
witnessed.  After  a  time  the  clouds  passed  away, 
leaving  the  sky  clear  and  the  moon  shining  upon 
the  clearing  with  a  light  almost  as  bright  as  day. 
Not  a  word  had  been  spoken  for  the  first  mile  or 
two,  our  close  attention  being  required  to  avoid  ac- 
€idents.  Suddenly  a  long  starthng  howl  broke  the 
stillness,  causing  us  almost  involuntarily  to  rein  up 
our  horses  and  to  hsten. .  Was  it  possible  that  we 
were  pursued  by  bloodhounds?    Before  I  had  time 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  129 

to  ask  the  question,  the  Doctor  exclaimed,  "  Heaven 
preserve  us !  The  wolves  are  upon  our  track !  We 
must  ride  for  our  lives  or  we  cannot  escape  them! '' 

All  that  I  had  ever  read  or  heard  of  such  perils 
flashed  upon  my  mind.  We  started  ofi  at  break- 
neck speed,  endeavoring  to  keep  in  the  road  as  best 
we  could,  it  being  our  hope  to  reach  the  Chariton 
before  the  wolves  could  overtake  us,  and  then  we 
might  cross  in  safety.  We  urged  our  horses  on- 
ward at  their  utmost  speed — winding  and  twisting 
among  the  fallen  trees  and  beneath  the  dripping 
branches  that  completely  drenched  us  as  we  passed, 
and  in  imminent  peril  of  having  our  brains  dashed 
out  in  the  mad  flight,  but  even  this  fate  was  prefer- 
able to  falling  into  the  merciless  jaws  of  our  pur- 
suers. 

At  frequent  and  lesser  intervals,  came  those 
blood-chilhng  howls,  increasing  in  volume  as  if  by 
fresh  accessions  of  numbers,  and  sounding  nearer 
and  nearer.  Onward  we  dashed,  but  swift  as  was 
our  flight — fortunately  we  were  well  mounted — the 
hungry  wolves  came  more  swiftly.  Looking  back- 
ward, we  could  dimly  distinguish  a  dark  mass  of 
countless  demons,  leaping  forward,  and  but  a  few 
hundred  yards  in  the  rear,  while  the  short,  snapping 
bark  of  the  animals  sounded  ominiously  of  ap- 
proaching fate. 

Soon  on  either  hand,  could  be  distinctly  descried 
the  dark,  leaping  forms  keeping  pace  with  the 
horses,  their  red,  glaring  eye-balls  gleaming  with 
fearful  distinctness.  We  discharged  our  revolvers 
with  good  effect  at  the  foremost  of  the  pack,  that 
were  now  within  a  few  feet  of  us ;  this  had  the  effect 


130  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

of  keeping  the  ferocious  beasts  from  seizing  upon  the 
snorting,  terrified  horses,  but  should  the  noble  ani- 
mals stumble  and  fall,  they  would  never  rise  again^ 
and  with  so  terrible  a  calamity,  our  fate  would  have 
been  quickly  sealed. 

The  speed  with  which  we  advanced  soon  brought 
us  safely  to  the  river,  where  we  confidently  hoped 
to  escape  by  means  of  the  ferry  boat  in  which  we 
had  crossed  several  hours  before,  but  a  single  glance 
at  the  river  dispelled  that  hope,  for  the  storm 
had  swollen  the  waters  to  a  flood,  and  in  their 
might  they  had  risen  far  above  and  beyond  the 
banks  and  had  swept  the  boat  away.  It  was  death 
to  stop,  and  almost  equally  perilous  to  plunge  into 
the  rushing  waters ;  even  there,  however,  was  the 
ghmmering  of  hope,  and  not  for  an  instant  did  we 
hesitate,  but  made  the  fearful  attempt.  The  horses 
exerted  their  utmost  strength,  but  their  race  for 
hfe  had  exhausted  them  to  such  a  degree  that  they 
were  borne  rapidly  down  the  stream.  The  wolves 
followed  no  further  than  the  water's  edge.  Having 
escaped  death  in  its  most  terrible  form,  we  now 
struggled  for  our  hves  with  the  foaming,  rushing 
waters.  I  was  about  six  or  eight  yards  in  advance, 
my  horse  being  the  more  powerful  of  the  two.  On 
looking  back,  I  discovered  to  my  horror  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a  huge  log  coming  down  upon  my 
companion,  who  discovered  it  at  the  same  moment 
and  struggled  hard  to  escape  it ;  but  his  efforts  were 
in  vain — the  moving  mass,  whatever  it  was,  struck 
the  horse,  causing  the  animal,  and  with  him  the 
rider,  to  sink  from  sight ;  the  horse  instantly  disen- 
gaged itseK,  but  my  friend  had  been  borne  down 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         131 

by  the  swift  current.     Holding  to  the  horse's  mane 
and  strugghng  by  his  side,  I  reached  the  shore. 

Again  mounting,  I  rode  along  the  river  side  in 
the  hope  of  discovering  the  body  of  my  ill-fated 
companion,  but  in  vain.  Cold,  wet  and  utterly 
exhausted,  I  rode  to  the  Doctor's  cabin,  on  the  sad^ 
dest  errand  a  friend  can  perform — to  convey  the- 
melancholy  tidings  to  the  Doctor's  family. 

It  was  already  early  dawn — a  night  of  horror  had 
passed,  and  an  hour  after  sunrise  I  was  again  on 
board  the  steamer,  which  now  proceeded  on  her 
course. 

Brunswick  is  near  the  mouth  of  Grand  Eiver,  in 
Chariton  County.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
the  State,  and  is  an  important  point  on  the  St, 
Louis  &  Great  Northern  Eailway,  although  its  pop- 
ulation does  not  exceed  3,000.  It  formerly  occupied! 
a  beautiful  site  on  the  "bottom  lands,"  but  the 
river  has  gradually  encroached  upon  its  area  and 
crowded  the  town  back  to  the  bluff,  which  the  rest- 
less current  is  threatening  to  undermine. 

Still  borne  along,  winding  around  magnificent 
bends  and  by  frequent  landings  that  throng  with 
crowds  of  whites  and  blacks,  we  arrive  at  Lexington, 
the  capital  of  Lafayette  County.  It  is  situated  upon 
the  south  bank,  on  an  abrupt  bluff  that  completely 
hides  its  view  from  the  river.  Large  warehouses 
and  manufacturing  estabhshments  are  located  at 
the  foot  of  the  bluff  near  the  steamboat  landing. 
From  the  deck  of  the  boat  the  entrance  to  an 
extensive  coal-mine  may  be  seen  just  above  the 
landing.  A  good  road  to  the  town  has  been  formed 
by  a  deep  cut  through  the  bluff.     The  city  contains  a 


132  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

population  of  about  6,000,  a  dozen  or  more  churches, 
a  good  college,  and  the  usual  county  buildings.  In 
November,  1861,  a  Union  force,  3,000  strong,  was 
oaptured  here  by  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy. 
Lexington  is  a  beautiful  Uttle  city,  and  controls  the 
trade  of  a  most  productive  territory.  It  is  370  miles 
distant  from  St.  Louis. 

The  next  important  point  on  the  river  is  Kansas 
City,  which  its  citizens  proudly  caU  "  the  metropo- 
lis of  the  West."  It  is  situated  upon  the  right 
bank  of  the  river,  in  Jackson  County,  two  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  Eiver  and  the  State 
line.  By  the  river,  Kansas  City  is  460  miles  from 
St.  Louis,  but  by  the  Missouri  Pacific  Eailroad  the 
distance  is  but  282  miles.  The  railroad  buildings, 
important  factories  and  numerous  warehouses  are 
situated  at  the  base  of  the  bluff  upon  which  the 
€ity  is  chiefly  built.  The  streets  extend  to  the  river 
through  deep  cuts  in  the  bluff.  The  buildings  in 
the  business  portion  of  the  city  are  very  imposing, 
and  the  streets  are  wide  and  regular,  giving  to  the 
visitor  a  most  favorable  impression.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  city  in  1860  was  4,418 ;  in  1870  it  was 
32,260 — an  increase  of  650  per  cent.  It  is  now 
probably  60,000.  Few,  if  any  cities  in  the  Union, 
have  ever  equalled  its  ratio  of  increase.  It  is  not 
of  a  mushroom  growth,  but  possesses  all  the  hardi- 
liood  and  vitality  of  the  enduring  oak.  The  causes 
that  created  it  are  still  existing  and  will  continue  to 
increase  its  importance.  It  will  doubtless  in  the 
future,  as  it  has  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century, 
control  the  entire  trade  of  the  great  Southwest. 
The  many  thousands  who  yearly  seek  homes  on  the 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  133^ 

fertile  lands  of  this  region  of  the  West,  will  pour 
their  productions  into  the  markets  of  this  prosper- 
ous city.  At  a  future  day  it  will  be  a  powerful  rival 
of  St.  Louis. 

There  are  chambered  mounds  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Clay  County,  Missouri,  which  form  a  large  group 
on  both  sides  of  the  Missouri  river.  The  chambers- 
are,  in  the  three  opened  by  Mr.  Curtiss,  about  eight- 
feet  square,  and  from  four- and- a-half  to  five  feet 
high,  each  chamber  having  a  passage  way  several  feet 
in  length  and  two  in  width,  leading  from  the  southern 
side,  and  opening  on  the  edge  of  the  mound  formed  by 
covering  the  chamber  and  passage-way  with  earth. 
The  walls  of  the  chambered  passages  were  about  two- 
feet  thick,  vertical,  and  well  made  of  stones,  which, 
were  evenly  laid  without  clay  or  mortar  of  any  kind. 
The  top  of  one  of  the  chambers  had  a  covering  of 
large  flat  rocks,  but  the  others  seem  to  have  been 
covered  over  with  wood.  The  chambers  were  filled 
with  clay  which  had  been  burnt,  and  appeared  as  if 
it  had  fallen  from  above.  The  inside  walls  of  the 
chambers  also  showed  signs  of  fire.  Under  the 
burnt  clay  in  each  chamber,  were  found  the  remains- 
of  several  human  skeletons,  all  of  which  had  been 
burnt  to  such  an  extent  as  to  leave  but  small  frag- 
ments of  the  bones,  which  were  mixed  with  the 
ashes  and  charcoal.  Mr.  Curtiss  thought  that  in 
one  chamber  he  found  the  remains  of  five  skeletons, 
and  in  another  thirteen.  With  these  remains  there^ 
were  a  few  flint  implements  and  minute  fragments 
of  earthen  vessels.  A  large  mound  near  the  cham- 
bered ones  w^as  also  opened,  but  no  chambers  were 
found  therein ;  neither  had  the  bodies  been  burnt. 


134  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

This  mound  proved  very  rich  in  large  flint  imple- 
ments, and  also  contained  well-made  pottery,  and  a 
peculiar  "  garget  "  of  red  stone.  The  connection 
of  the  people  who  placed  the  ashes  of  their  dead  in 
stone  chambers  with  those  who  buried  their  dead 
in  earth  mounds  is,  of  course,  yet  to  be  determined. 

We  pass  the  mouth  of  Kansas  Eiver,  a  long,  wide 
but  shallow  stream,  which  is  not  navigable  even  for 
vessels  of  the  hghtest  draught,  a^nd  land  at  Wyan- 
dotte, Kansas,  just  above  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
This  is  a  beautiful  little  city,  located  upon  a  bluff 
from  which  it  commands  a  fine  view  of  Kansas  City, 
— ^in  Missouri,  two  miles  distant.  It  contains  about 
5,000  inhabitants,  but  owing  to  the  proximity  of 
Leavenworth  and  Kansas  City  it  is  of  but  little 
commercial  importance. 

At  this  point  our  entire  party  left  the  boat,  which 
w^as  to  proceed  to  Leavenworth  to  await  our  arrival, 
and  pursued  our  way  westward,  with  the  purpose  of 
first  seeing  the  Capital,  and  then  as  it  was  the  time 
the  buflalo  hunting  season  usually  begins,  we  pro- 
posed to  try  our  luck  in  the  pursuit  of  the  roaming 
monarchs  of  the  plains. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  135 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Beautiful  Kansas — Topography  of  the  State — Vast  Prairies — Game — 
The  "  Great  American  Desert  " — The  Lost  Race  of  Men — Wonderful 
Discoveries — Topeka  —  Lawrence — A  Hunting  Expedition — Vast 
Herds  of  Buffaloes — Indians  —Our  Camp. 

Within  the  hmits  of  the  beautiful  and  flourishing 
State  of  Kansas  is  a  population  not  far  from  a  mil- 
Uon,  with  cities  and  towns  that  for  opulence,  thrift 
and  beauty,  vie  with  any  of  similar  size  in  any  part 
of  the  United  States ;  there  are  farms  of  the  great- 
est fertility,  under  the  highest  state  of  cultivation, 
the  varied  productions  of  which  are  transported  by 
steamers  and  railway  trains  to  distant  markets; 
numberless  factories  and  workshops  of  various  kinds, 
giving  employment  to  scores  of  thousands  of  skilled 
artizans;  educational  institutions  that  rank  with 
the  best  in  our  land,  choice  libraries,  numberless 
churches,  and  all  the  concomitants  of  the  highest 
culture  and  refinement ;  and  hither  other  thousands 
are  coming  every  year,  to  share  in  the  general  thrift 
and  prosperity  which  now  distinguishes  this  fair 
land. 

Such  marvels  of  enterprise,  such  grand  achieve- 
ments, such  glorious  results  as  are  apparent  in 
very  many  locahties  of  the  State,  excite  wonder 
and  admiration,  and  especially  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  less  than  twenty-five  years  ago  the  entire  ter- 
ritory of  the  State  was  only  a  vast  Indian  reserva- 
tion, upon  which  no  white  man  might  presume  to 


136 

build  a  habitation  or  pitch  his  tent  without  permis- 
sion of  the  lords  of  the  soil,  the  Red  men, — that  until 
the  year  1854,  the  ever-memorable  date  of  the  re- 
peal of  the  Missouri  Compromise — none  but  mis- 
sionaries and  a  very  few  white  traders  ventured  ta 
cross  the  boundary  which  separated  Savagery  from 
Civilization.  What  a  glorious  history  is  that  of 
Kansas,  as  brief  as  it  is !  What  a  glorious  future 
will  be  hers ! 

When  the  portals  of  the  State  were  opened  by  the 
act  of  the  government,  in  rushed  thousands  of  peo- 
ple from  the  Free  States,  from  the  Slave  States,  and 
from  the  Old  World.  Of  the  hardships  and  perils  of 
the  early  settlements,  we  have  no  need  to  speak,  the 
occurrences  are  so  recent  and  the  history  so  gener- 
ally known  to  all  the  civilized  world. 

Kansas  embraces  an  area  of  80,000  square  miles, 
being  about  400  miles  in  extent  'from  east  to  west, 
and  200  from  north  to  south.  Even  with  the  figures 
before  us,  it  is  not  easy  to  conceive  of  the  vast  mag- 
nitude of  this  and  others  of  our  Western  States. 
Kansas  is  far  larger  than  the  whole  of  New  England 
whose  sons  and  daughters  in  great  numbers  have 
here  made  their  homes,  and  by  their  enterprise  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  prosperity  of  the  State  of 
their  adoption.  It  is  a  vast  undulating  prairie — a> 
magnificent  savanna  of  remarkable  fertility,  where 
Nature  rewards  enterprise  and  industry  with  a  lav- 
ish hand.  Many  thousands  of  acres  have  been 
taken  by  actual  settlers,  and  other  millions  of  acres, 
are  waiting  for  other  settlers  yet  to  come.  Under- 
lying portions  of  the  State  are  various  minerals  of 
great  value. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  137 

In  regions  where  man  has  made  his  home,  the 
mesquit  and  buffalo  grasses  are  giving  way  to  the 
blue  grass,  timothy  and  clover;  the  buffalo  wal- 
lows are  being  broken  up  by  the  plough,  trees  are 
springing  up  in  regions  that  formerly  were  treeless, 
creeks  that  were  almost  dry,  now  flow  in  abundance. 

In  Eastern  Kansas,  there  is  a  sufficiency  of  tim- 
ber to  meet  present  requirements,  and  a  new  growth 
will  maintain  an  adequate  supply  for  future  time. 
Here  we  find  five  varieties  of  oak — the  red,  white, 
black,  burr  and  water ;  then  there  is  the  elm,  black 
and  white  walnut,  butternut,  cottonwood,  box-elder,, 
hackberry,  honey  locust,  willow,  hickory,  sycamore, 
white  ash,  sugar  maple,  mulberry,  Hnden  or  bass- 
wood,  crab-apple,  wild-cherry  and  cofiee-tree.  Of 
shrubs  and  vines  there  are  the  elder,  sumac,  green- 
brier,  gooseberry,  hazel,  paw-waw,  prickly  ash,  rasp- 
berry, blackberry,  prairie  rose  and  grapes  in  great 
variety.  Kansas,  therefore,  is  not  a  "  treeless  waste," 
as  some  may  have  supposed,  nor  is  it  often  subject 
to  drought  and  the  incursion  of  grasshoppers.  The 
almost  annual  occurrence  of  prairie  fires  has  to  a 
considerable  extent  prevented  the  growth  of  forests, 
but  where  trees  in  great  numbers  have  grown,  the 
soil  is  less  dry  and  the  regions  less  liable  to  furioua 
storms. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  State,  there  are  vast, 
tracts  of  prairie  land  extending  over  hundreds  of 
miles,  covered  with  buffalo  grass;  and  over  these 
plains,  immense  herds  of  buffaloes,  antelopes  and 
wild  horses  roam,  seemingly  undisturbed  by  the 
huntsman's  rifle  or  the  shrieking  of  the  steam  en- 
gine.    These  vast  savannas  are  watered  by  streams. 


138  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

varying  in  size  from  running  brooks  to  great  rivers 
and  their  branches  —  the  Arkansas,  Smoky  Hill, 
Neosho  and  Kansas — all  of  which  are  skirted  with 
timber.  The  western  part  of  the  State  is  from  2,000 
to  3,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the 
climate  is  remarkably  healthful. 

As  we  glance  at  our  school  maps  over  which  in 
boyhood's  days  we  used  to  puzzle,  wondering  if 
there  were  camels  and  occasional  oases  in  the 
"  Great  American  Desert  " — printed  in  large  letters 
just  below — "  Unexplored  Territory  " — where  thirsty, 
scorched  and  weary  men  and  beasts  might  find  shel- 
ter and  a  cooling  draught,  we  find  that  here  is  the 
locahty  thereon  described,  but  the  oasis  is  every- 
where— the  desert  nowhere — but  rather  Nature's 
great  flower  garden  where  Eden  might  have  been, 
and  far  more  pleasant  than  the  land  of  the  Euphrates 
in  our  day.  Wherever  antelopes  and  deer  and  buf- 
faloes in  countless  herds  find  pasturage,  and  where 
from  time  immemorial  they  have  ranged,  there  can- 
not be  a  desert.  We  must  say  to  the  venerable 
map-maker  that  he  was  a  "  blind  leader  of  the  blind," 
and  unfitted  to  teach  "  the  young  idea  how  to 
shoot  " — that  there  is  no  portion  of  the  territory  of 
the  United  States  east  of  the  Eocky  Mountains 
that  can  with  any  degree  of  truth  be  called  a  desert ; 
and  it  is  reasonable  to  infer  that  wherever  buffaloes 
and  antelopes  and  deer  and  wild-horses  will  thrive 
and  fatten,  domestic  cattle  will  not  greatly  suffer 
for  lack  of  sustenance.  In  Western  Kansas,  cattle 
of  the  plains  are  as  fat  as  those  that  are  stall-fed  in 
the  East. 

In  this  State,  the  trade  in  Texas  cattle  is  very 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         139 

large.  They  are  annually  brought  in  vast  herds  by 
Texan  drovers  to  points  along  the  Pacific  Railroad. 

To  the  historian,  the  naturalist,  scientist  and 
archaeologist,  as  to  the  tourist,  Kansas  is  a  territory 
of  great  and  special  interest.  We  have  spoken  of 
the  works  of  the  Mound  Builders.  Recent  discove- 
ries in  this  State  afford  still  further  traces  of  this 
mysterious  race,  or  of  those  who  may  have  been 
their  enemies,  or  possibly  of  a  race  who  lived  and 
passed  away  even  before  the  existence  of  the  Mound 
Builders.  The  wrought  stone  implements  found  in 
the  ancient  river  gravels  of  Gahfornia  evidence  that 
during  or  prior  to  the  glacial  period,  the  Pacific 
coast  was  inhabited  by  man.  Recent  archaeological 
explorations  in  Kansas  show  that  at  a  period  equally 
remote,  this  region  was  also  inhabited  by  the  human 
race.  The  geology  of  the  region  is  simple.  Prior 
to  the  drift  epoch,  the  river  channels  were  deeper 
than  now,  and  the  river  valleys  were  lower.  Sub- 
sequently the  valleys  were  filled  by  a  lacustrine 
deposit  of  considerable  depth.  In  or  beneath  this 
last  deposit,  the  remains  of  an  extinct  race  appear. 

Such  remains  have  been  found  at  various  depths 
in  seven  different  counties  along  or  near  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Railroad,  viz :  Douglass,  Pottawatomie,  Ri- 
ley, Dickinson,  Marion,  Ellsworth  and  Lincoln 
•Counties.  With  one  exception,  the  remains  have 
•all  been  found  on  the  second  bottom  or  terrace  of 
streams,  and  consist  of  stone  implements,  pottery, 
human  bones  and  bone  implements.  In  most  cases 
they  were  struck  in  digging  wells  at  a  depth  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  below  the  surface.  In  view  of 
the  fact  that  there  is  not  more  than  one  well  to  the 


140 


LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 


square  mile,  in  the  counties  named,  and  the  area  of 
a  well  forms  but  a  very  small  fraction  of  a  square 
mile,  the  evidence  is  deemed  sufficient  not  only  to 
prove  the  former  existence  of  the  buried  race,  but 
that  they  were  very  numerous.  We  can  hardly 
assume  that  chance  has  directed  the  digging  of 
wells  only  where-  human  remains  are  buried. 
Whether  the  race  existed  before  the  glacial  period 
or  immediately  after,  is  a  matter  of  speculation. 
"Here,"  says  West,  "  We  have   a  buried  race  en- 


wrapped in  a  profound  and  startling  mystery — a 
race  w^hose  appearance  and  exit  in  the  world's  dra- 
ma precede  stupendous  geological  changes  marking 
our  continent  and  which,  perhaps,  required  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  years  in  their  accomphsh- 
ment. 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  141 

By  the  middle  of  September  at  latest,  we  must 
return  to  the  steamer,  and  as  we  have  a  project  in 
view  for  visiting  many  distant,  interesting  localities 
before  that  time,  we  now  proceed  by  rail  to  the 
State  Capital. 

Topeka  occupies  a  lovely  and  elevated  site  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Kansas  Eiver,  sixty-seven  miles 
westward  from  Wyandotte.  It  is  a  beautiful,  busy 
and  eminently  prosperous  city.  Its  imposing  and 
elegant  buildings,  located  upon  wide  streets  that  are 
well  shaded  with  trees,  its  general  appearance  of 
activity  and  thrift  speak  volumes  for  the  enterprise 
and  industry  of  the  citizens.  Here  are  flour  mills, 
foundries,  machine  shops  and  manufactories,  ware- 
houses and  first-class  mercantile  establishments,  all 
telling  of  the  great  extent  of  inland  trade  which 
conduces  to  the  general  prosperity.  The  elegant 
State-house  and  many  other  magnificent  structures 
claimed  our  attention.  The  principal  railroads  that 
center  here  are  the  Kansas  Pacific  and  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe.  The  commercial  rela- 
tions of  the  city  with  Santa  Fe,  greatly  add  to  its 
prosperity. 

In  1860  the  city  contained  less  than  1,000  inhabit- 
ants, but  now  its  population  is  at  least  25,000. 

At  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  eastward  from  To- 
peka and  thirty-eight  miles  from  Leavenworth,  on 
the  Kansas  Eiver,  is  the  city  of  Lawrence,  quite  as 
flourishing  and  prosperous  as  either,  and  containing 
a  population  of  about  20,000.  It  is  surrounded  by 
a  most  fertile  farming  country,  which  is  generally 
highly  improved.  The  city  is  built  on  a  rising  ground, 
and  possesses  many  attractions.     In  addition  to  its 


142  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF    AMEEICA, 

railroad  depots,  factories,  macliine  shops,  mercantile 
establishments  and  other  industries,  its  educational 
facilities  are  excellent.  It  is  the  seat  of  the  State 
University,  so  well  and  favorably  known  through- 
out the  West.  The  struggles  and  trials  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Lawrence  are  well  known  to  the  general 
public.  In  1856  a  pro- slavery  mob  destroyed  a  vast 
amount  of  public  and  private  property,  but  the 
greatest  affliction  the  city  sustained  was  in  1863, 
when  the  guerilla  Quantrel  and  his  band  of  murder- 
ers fell  upon  it  and  massacred  150  of  the  unarmed 
citizens,  burned  a  great  number  of  dwellings  and 
committed  other  gross  outrages.  The  act  was  uni- 
versally condemned  by  the  people  of  the  North  and 
of  the  South,  and  everywhere  the  name  of  the 
monster  whom  it  were  base  flattery  to  call  man  was 
execrated.  So  far  from  being  warrantable  by  the  cir- 
cumstances of  war,  it  was  the  deed  of  the  midnight 
assassin,  the  enormity,  diabolism  and  cowardice 
which  language  is  powerless  to  express. 

Having  been  fortunate  enough  in  Topeka  to  ob- 
tain some  fine  and  well-trained  horses,  and  such 
supplies  as  we  required — the  latter  not  being  a 
heavy  purchase,  as  we  had  made  ample  provision 
of  fire-arms,  ammunition  and  other  essential  equip- 
ments in  St.  Louis,  which  articles  were  now  brought 
forward  by  our  hunters  who  had  enjoyed  a  long  hoh- 
day  at  Leavenworth — we  started  on  an  expedition 
to  the  prairies  of  the  Southwest.  Leaving  Topeka 
by  the  Santa  Fe  Eailway  train,  we  were  early  on 
the  qui  vive  to  see  the  buffaloes  of  the  plains,  having 
hitherto  seen  only  those  of  zoological  gardens  in  the 
East.     For  a  long  time  we  watched  in  vain.     Ante- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  148 

lopes  occasionally  favored  us  and  prairie  dogs  innum- 
erable, perched  upon  their  mud  houses,  could  be 
seen,  and  only  these.  At  last,  in  the  dim  distance^ 
a  solitary  buffalo — perhaps  on  picket  duty — glad- 
dened our  eyes,  but  for  miles  we  saw  no  more. 

At  length  we  entered  upon  the  range,  and  there 
we  descried  with  delight  vast  herds  of  buffaloes, 
apparently  extending  for  miles  in  all  directions, 
huddled  in  distant  masses  hke  islands  of  the  sea; 
at  other  times  these  unwieldy  animals  were  so  per- 
sistent in  their  course  that  it  became  necessary  to 
stop  the  train  and  wait  till  they  had  crossed  the 
track — an  occurrence  which  is  here  not  so  very 
uncommon.  In  the  present  instance  it  was  explained 
by  the  appearance  of  a  party  of  Indians,  well  mounted 
on  agile  horses,  who  followed  in  quick  pursuit. 

It  was  an  exciting  chase,  and  greatly  did  we  regret 
our  inability  to  participate  in  it.  Swift  as  the' 
wind,  pursuers  and  pursued  dashed  away,  till  the 
distance  and  clouds  of  dust  concealed  them  from 
sight.  Pettibone  and  Nichols,  who  observed  our 
eager  anxiety  to  join  in  the  chase,  assured  us  that 
our  aid  or  our  presence  would  be  anything  but  wel- 
come to  the  natives,  and  if  we  wished  to  avoid 
"  unpleasantness  "  we  would  strictly  mind  our  own 
business.  This  course,  so  generally  commendable 
in  the  affairs  of  life,  we  were  constrained  to  follow, 
as  we  were  dashing  onward  at  thirty  miles  an  hour, 
and  were  a  hundred  miles  distant  from  the  station 
for  which  we  had  taken  tickets.  We  consoled  our- 
selves with  the  confident  hope  of  similar  sport  to 
our  heart's  content  a  httle  later  on. 

In  Kansas  there  are  about  10,000  Indians,  nearly 


144  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

two-thirds  of  the  number  hving  upon  reservations, 
the  others  pursuing  a  nomadic  hfe  and  subsisting 
by  hunting.  During  the  season  when  the  buffaloes 
return  to  the  north,  they  eat  the  grass  of  the  whole 
country  over  which  they  range,  so  closely  that  it 
seems  barren  of  vegetation. 

The  day  was  far  advanced  when  we  halted  at  the 
little  rude  but  brave  station  which  was  to  be  our 
point  of  landing.  With  little  difficulty  we  were 
soon  mounted  and  ready  for  departure.  Our  course 
was  toward  the  south.  We  had  passed  the  Arkan- 
sas Eiver,  and  now  pushed  onward  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible, hoping  to  reach  an  arm  of  the  riverj  which 
would  afford  a  suitable  locahty  for  an  encampment 
for  the  night. 

We  were  now  upon  the  boundless  prairie,  which 
presented  a  scene  of  surpassing  grandeur  and  beauty 
indescribable.  Our  wish  was  at  last  accomplished 
— the  wish  we  had  often  expressed,  of  reaching 
the  prairie  country  during  the  summer,  before 
its  beauties  should  be  withered  by  the  chilly  winds 
of  autumn.  Of  these  vast  plains  of  luxuriant  ver- 
dure and  beauteous  flowers,  much  has  been  written 
but  the  half  has  not  been  told. 

With  the  first  month  of  Spring,  Nature  dons  her 
holiday  dress.  Beautiful  flowers  in  endless  variety 
and  rank  profusion  cover  the  plain.  Summer  adds 
new  beauties  to  the  exquisite  lovehness  of  the  scene. 
From  March  till  September  there  is  presented  to  the 
eye  a  fascinating  panorama  of  floral  beauty  of  every 
tint  and  hue. 

"These  are  the  gardens  of  the  desert,  these 
The  unshorn  fields,  boundless  and  beautiful, 
For  which  the  speech  of  England  has  no  name. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         145 

The  Prairies!    I  behold  them  for  the  first, 

And  my  heart  swells,  while  the  dilated  sight 

Takes  in  the  encircling  vastness.    Lo,  they  stretch 

In  airy  undulations,  far  away, 

As  if  the  Ocean  in  his  gentlest  swell, 

Stood  still,  with  all  his  rounded  billows  fixed 

And  motionless  forever. " 

Far  away  extends  the  limitless  scene,  bounded 
ty  the  horizon  on  every  side,  its  green  carpet  richly 
variegated  with  countless  thousands  of  wild  flowers, 
while  here  and  there  at  distant  intervals,  the  surface 
is  adorned  with  little  groves  of  oak  hke  low  islands 
risen  from  the  sea.  The  general  evenness  of  the 
ground  is  sometimes  broken  by  mounds  where  may 
sleep  the  unknown  dead.  Milhons  of  human  beings 
may  have  passed  over  the  broad  expanse  in  the  ages 
that  have  gone,  as  we  are  passing  now.  In  the 
years  that  are  to  come,  great  cities  will  rise  upon 
this  ground  and  the  sons  of  toil  will  convert  these 
Tast  savannas  into  wheat  fields,  whose  abundance 
may  supply  less  favored  regions  of  the  globe. 

The  scene  is  now  trans cendently  beautiful.  Upon 
this  hmitless  plain,  the  tall  grass  waves  gently  in 
the  breeze,  bending,  rising,  rolling  to  and  fro  hke 
the  waves  of  the  ocean ;  and  indeed  the  traveler 
feels  that  he  is  at  sea  beyond  the  sight  of  land,  and 
he  looks  in  vain  to  catch  a  ghmpse  of  one  single 
fading  outhne  of  the  f ar-ofl  shore ;  the  creaking  of 
masts  and  cordage  and  the  ocean's  roar  only  are 
wanting  to  render  the  illusion  complete,  as  the 
traveler  wanders  entranced  in  the  midst  of  an  iUim- 
itable  flower  garden. 

During  the  autumnal  months  of  dry  weather,  the 
vegetation  is  converted  into  combustible  materials 


146 

that  burns  with  terrible  fury,  consuming  everything 
when  perchance  a  flame  has  once  been  hghted. 
The  burning  prairie  presents  a  scene,  especially  in 
the  night,  transcendently  grand  and  subhme.  No 
spectacle  can  be  more  awful  than  such  a  night 
scene — a  river  of  flame  of  miles  in  breadth,  rushing 
with  fury  over  these  plains,  leaving  behind  it  a 
dense  black  cloud,  all  devouring  as  it  goes,  casting 
before  it  a  vivid  glare  which  illumes  the  whole 
landscape  with  the  brilliancy  of  noon-day,  and  pic- 
tures pandemonium  on  the  sky.  A  roaring,  crack- 
ling sound  is  heard  hke  the  rushing  of  a  hurricane 
or  the  thundering  of  Niagara's  mighty  waters.  The 
lurid  flame  rising  high  into  the  air  in  a  sheet  of 
bhnding  brightness,  now  low  sinking  to  the  earth, 
its  fury  seemingly  passed,  but  quickly  darting  up- 
ward hke  millions  of  fiery  serpents  or  hke  the  spray 
of  dashing  waves  upon  a  rock-bound  shore ;  anon  it 
is  a  boihng,  seething  sea  of  dazzhng  brilhancy — a 
scene  of  subhmity  that  defies  description.  Trav- 
elers not  unfrequently  have  found  escape  impossible 
and  perished  in  the  raging  element. 

As  we  rode  onward  Nichols  recounted  several 
instances  within  his  knowledge  where  emigrant 
parties  had  thus  fallen  victims  to  this  horrid  fate. 
I  was  especially  deeply  touched  by  one,  where  a 
whole  family  consisting  of  seven  so  perished. 

They  had  been  many  long  and  weary  weeks  upon 
the  journey,  and  were  within  a  few  days'  travel  of 
their  place  of  destination,  full  of  hfe  and  hope,  re- 
joicing that  their  trials  were  well-nigh  ended,  and 
building  air-castles  as  they  discoursed  of  their  fu- 
ture home.    At  the  close  of  a  balmy  and  beautiful 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  147 

day  in  Autumn,  the  father  and  eldest  daughter  went 
in  advance  of  the  emigrant  wagons  to  a  httle  grove 
not  far  away,  where  the  party  proposed  to  encamp 
for  the  night .  They  kindled  a  fire  beneath  a  covert  of 
large  trees  and  were  preparing  the  evening  repast, 
when  by  some  means  the  dry  grass  caught  fire.  The 
wind  was  blowing  directly  toward  the  advancing  par- 
ty, and  in  a  few  moments  the  prairie  was  on  fire — the 
little  flickering  blaze  had  become  a  sea  of  flame. 
The  dry  grass  caught  hke  tinder,  and  sent  up  broad 
sheets  of  fire  that  every  instant  widened.  The  hor- 
ror, the  unspeakable  agony  of  the  loving  and  loved 
ones  can  only  be  imagined,  for  when  the  morning: 
dawned,  the  Indians,  who  passed  over  the  desolate 
and  blackened  plain,  discovered  the  charred  bodies: 
of  the  ill-fated  emigrants.  The  details  of  the  hor- 
ror can  never  be  known,  but  this  is  certain,  that 
father  and  daughter  gave  up  their  lives  in  the  vain 
attempt  to  rescue  the  others,  for  had  they  remained 
in  the  grove  they  would  have  been  safe.  Their  he- 
roic efforts  had  involved  them  in  the  common  fate 
of  the  other  members  of  the  family. 

To  fully  describe  the  Western  prairies  is  impossi- 
ble. To  be  known  in  all  their  grandeur  they  must 
be  seen.  The  people  of  the  East  are  accustomed  to- 
a  great  variety  of  natural  scenery — often  of  beauty 
and  subHmity, — dense  unbroken  forests  covered 
with  fohage,  mountains  and  vales,  beautiful  rivers 
and  bays  studded  with  islands,  but  in  the  great 
West  only  can  be  seen  the  magnificence  of  the 
boundless  prairie. 

We  had  traversed  many  miles  without  the  shght- 
est  incident  of  interest  to  the  general  reader.    The 


148  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

exciting  spectacle  we  had  witnessed  from  the  rail- 
way train  had  vanished,  and  neither  buffalo  nor  In- 
dian had  since  been  seen.  Both  Barstow  and  War- 
rington had  busied  themselves  collecting  floral  spec- 
imens, while  Pettibone  and  the  two  Kentuckians 
had  disappeared  together,  in  quest  of  game.  It  was 
late  in  the  afternoon  when  they  intercepted  us  upon 
the  route,  bringing  with  them  a  couple  of  birds  and 
a  deer  as  their  trophies.  The  sun  was  far  down  the 
sky,  giving  rare  tints  of  beauty  to  the  fleecy  clouds, 
when  the  hunters  announced  that  we  were  not  far 
distant  from  a  large  water- course  and  a  belt  of  tim- 
ber, but  from  what  indications  they  formed  this 
opinion  we  knew  not,  for  to  us  the  scene  was  change- 
less ;  but  soon  the  prediction  was  verified ;  to  the 
southwest,  perhaps  a  league  distant,  we  descried  the 
outline  of  a  forest,  and  quickening  our  speed,  we 
soon  reached  the  timber — a  tail  growth  of  cotton- 
ivood. 

In  such  lovely  localities,  as  this  we  now  entered, 
have  sprung  up  thriving  towns  and  hamlets  all  over 
the  eastern  section  of  the  State.  As  this  site  of 
beauty  appeared  to  us,  so  have  other  similar  sites 
appeared  to  the  hardy  pioneers  who  have  gone  forth 
from  the  bounds  of  civilization  to  plant  in  Western 
wilds  the  villages  and  cities  from  which  other 
pioneers  will  journey  forth  upon  a  similar  mission. 
So  came  the  men  and  the  women  to  the  fertile  lands 
of  Kansas,  before  the  railroads,  that  now  are  highways 
of  travel  throughout  the  State,  had  been  dreamed  of 
by  even  the  most  visionary  speculator,  certainly 
had  not  been  constructed,  and  the  Indians  and  the 
traders  had  it  all  their  own  way,  and  sent  up  shouts 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  149 

and  shrieks  that  made  the  forest  ring,  and  startled 
the  wild  deer  of  the  plain — perhaps  as  loud  and 
shrill  as  any  that  now  come  from  the  hrazen  throat 
of  the  locomotive,  that  wondrous  mechanism  that 
drives  all  before  it,  and  bears  in  its  fiery  train  the 
wealth  of  remote  cities,  as  it  comes  dashing  and 
thundering  along  its  course.  The  wild  beasts  fled 
before  it,  the  Indians  followed  them,  and  the  pioneer 
followed  both,  with  axe  and  torch ;  the  monarchs  of 
the  forest,  from  whose  wide  extending  arms  hung 
heavy  festoons  of  moss  of  varying  hue,  and  whose 
huge  trunks  were  ivy-twined,  fell  with  echoing 
crash;  fires  consumed  the  underbrush,  and  only 
occasional  charred  stumps  and  scathed  trees  re- 
mained ;  even  these  vestiges  soon  gave  way  to  the 
village  church,  whose  slender  spire  rose  heaven- 
ward, and  to  the  httle  red  school-house ;  then  came 
corner  lots,  with  fortunes  in  them,  then  pretentious 
cities  rose,  and  rural  simplicity  gave  way  to  opulence 
and  splendor.  So  have  risen  all  over  the  West  the 
great  cities  of  which  all  Americans  are  justly  proud. 
Here,  then,  we  were  at  last,  in  a  beautiful  grove 
upon  the  banks  of  an  arm  of  the  Arkansas,  with  its 
gigantic  trees,  and  its  tender  saphngs  peering  up- 
ward so  proudly,  and  yet  not  half  as  high  as  the 
vines  that  coil  about  large  trunks  and  far-reaching 
branches,  ambitious  to  clamber  above  the  waving 
tree-tops,  and  bask  in  the  glorious  sunshine  that 
here  and  there  steals  down  between  the  heavy  foh- 
age  to  see  how  the  httle  woodland  flowers  and  dainty 
shrubs  and  pretty  mosses  are  prospering ;  here  the 
wild  birds  pursue  their  peaceful  flight,  and  squirrels 
skip  from  bough  to  bough,  always  in  a  hurry,  as  if 


160 

to  make  the  most  of  their  existence;  the  large 
streams  abound  with  fish ;  here  are  prostrate  trees, 
uprooted  by  the  storms,  these  scathed  and  cleft 
trunks  that  have  been  blasted  by  the  Hghtning's 
stroke,  but  here  is  nothing  to  denote  the  havoc  or 
the  presence  of  man. 

All  is  silent  as  the  tomb,  except  the  shrill  notes 
of  birds,  the  cries  of  wild  animals  far  away,  the 
soughing  of  the  wind  sweeping  through  the  tree- 
tops,  and  the  rush  of  waters  of  a  beautiful  httle 
cascade  that  helps  to  swell  the  distant  river.  A 
lovely  and  suitable  sight  was  this  for  our  encamp- 
ment. 

A  fire  was  soon  kindled,  and  the  deer  and  birds 
so  opportunely  taken,  afforded  a  dehcious  repast. 
Our  horses  were  coraled,  our  tents  pitched,  our 
beds  made — as  well  as  could  be  done  by  piling  up 
the  boughs  of  trees  and  covering  them  with  blank- 
ets— and  so  we  began  "  house-keeping." 

The  sun  had  long  since  sunk  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  setting  cloud,  tinting  the  fleecy  west  with  his 
gorgeous  pencihngs.  Night  came  on  but  the  moon, 
high  in  the  heavens,  silvered  each  shrub  and  leaf 
and  flower  with  mellow  light,  intensifying  the  beauty 
of  the  scene,  while  the  voices  of  Nature  impressed 
the  mind  with  a  feehng  of  utter  loneliness,  but  not 
of  sadness.  There  upon  the  margin  of  the  prairie 
at  that  hour  was  the  place  for  silent  thought.  What 
the  origin  of  these  expansive  tracts?  Have  they 
been  reft  of  timber  and  gradually  widened  by  the 
fires  that  annually  sweep  over  them,  or  did  the 
Almighty  smooth  these  verdant  lawns  and  leave 
them  ever  treeless?     The  settler,   observing  the 


AND   WONDEKS    OF    THE   WEST.  151 

groves  springing  up  as  by  magic  wherever  the  fires 
have  been  prevented  for  a  few  years,  beheves  they 
have  been  formed  by  the  ravages  of  fires. 

And  what  of  the  various  tribes  with  which  the 
country  has  been  successively  peopled?  In  remote 
ages,  while  Greece  was  in  her  infancy,  perhaps  be- 
fore the  construction  of  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt, 
here  lived  a  race  of  men  who  knew  something  of 
the  arts  of  civihzed  hfe.  Here  they  plied  their  avo- 
cations— hved,  labored,  loved,  hated,  perished.  In 
the  West  are  their  temples,  their  fortresses  and 
their  tombs.  WiU  the  research  and  the  ingenuity 
of  man  yet  tell  us  more  of  them,  or  will  oblivion  and 
profound  mystery  ever  veil  their  history  ?  Are  there 
no  hieroglyphics  yet  to  be  deciphered  that  will 
acquaint  us  with  the  knowledge  of  their  fate — by 
what  great  catastrophe  they  were  swept  away? 
They  were,  and  are  not — all  else  is  conjecture.  Then 
came  the  red  men,  but  yearly  decreasing  in  num- 
bers, their  history  will  soon  close — the  race  be 
extinguished.  Barbarianism  recedes  before  the  ad- 
vance of  civilization  —  heathenism  before  Chris- 
tianity. As  with  individuals,  so  with  tribes,  so 
with  nations,  vice  and  immorality  always  presage 
decay. 

As  we  were  assembled  about  the  camp  fire,  the 
hunters  entertained  us  with  some  of  their  adven- 
tures, and  Mr.  Barstow  related  a  thrilhng  incident 
in  his  own  experience  with  the  Sioux  Indians,  which 
may  interest  the  reader  as  it  interested  us. 


152 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

Tales  About  the  Camp  Fire — The  Sioux  Indians— A  Scrap  of  History — 
A  Thrilling  Adventure. 

There  are  many  pleasanter  things  in  hfe  than  a 
night  visit  from  black  wolves  or  even  prowhng  and 
cowardly  coyotes,  panthers,  or  even  unfriendly  In- 
dians, and  hence  the  necessity  of  our  establishing  a. 
night  watch,  and  keeping  a  blazing  fire  during  the 
night.  These  prudential  measures  settled  and  our 
duties  understood,  Mr.  Barstow  began  his  story, 
which  was  the  more  interesting  for  being  true : 

''  On  the  20th  of  November,  1863,  a  party  of 
twelve  Sioux  Indians  with  their  families  arrived  in 
the  colony  of  Eed  Eiver.  They  expressed  their  sur- 
prise that  a  large  body  of  their  people  who  had  pre- 
ceded them  had  not  arrived.  Their  statement,  of 
course,  produced  some  uneasiness  in  the  colony, 
which  was  not  tranquilized  by  the  appearance,  on 
the  11th  of  December,  of  their  friends,  numbering^ 
sixty  lodges,  containing  nearly  500  Sioux,  who  were 
in  a  state  of  absolute  starvation. 

"  These  Indians,  in  nearly  every  instance,  had 
been  deeply  implicated  in  the  border  massacres  of 
Minnesota  and  Dakota,  and  as  ill-disposed  savages 
at  war  with  the  Americans,  and  likely  to  prove  the 
occasion  of  bloodshed  with  the  Salteaux  of  the 
neighborhood,  they  were  in  every  respect  unwel- 
come. In  their  first  interviews  with  the  authorities 
they  frankly  stated  they  had  come  to  Hve  and  die  in. 


AROUND  tup:  camp  FT]  E. 


154 

the  Red  Eiver  settlement,  where  it  was  better  for 
them  to  attempt  to  gain  a  Hvehhood  from  the  char- 
ity of  the  whites,  than  to  return  across  the  hne,  to 
be  shot  by  United  States  troops,  or  perish  in  the 
snow-drifts  of  the  prairies. 

It  had  happened  that  the  harvest  of  that  year,  in 
the  colony,  had  been  a  failure.  To  add  to  the  bur- 
dens of  the  settlers  the  fall  buffalo  hunt  also  had 
been  a  partial  failure.  These  considerations  caused 
the  project  to  be  openly  discussed  of  driving  away  the 
Sioux  by  force.  This  was  undoubtedly  practicable. 
The  blood-stained  tribe  had  no  guns,  ammunition 
or  means  of  defense,  save  their  manifest  helpless- 
ness, which  would  expose  the  settlers  to  the  alter- 
native of  murdering  them  in  cold  blood,  or  allowing 
them  to  freeze  in  the  wretched  lodges  they  had 
constructed  to  shelter  them  from  immediate  con- 
tact with  the  winter  blasts. 

The  spot  they  selected  as  the  site  of  their  camp, 
was  Sturgeon  Creek,  about  six  miles  west  from  Fort 
Garry.  The  people  living  near  the  place  may  be 
said  to  have  dwelt  in  a  state  of  siege  during  the 
whole  period  of  their  residence.  Windows  and 
-doors  were  kept  perpetually  closed,  under  fear  of 
being  entered  by  some  watchful  savage,  ever  ready 
to  take  advantage  of  any  such  opening  which  might 
present  itself.  The  amount  of  assistance  bestowed 
by  the  people  on  the  spot  was  considerable,  and 
highly  creditable  to  the  donors,  who  knew  that 
everything  given  as  a  present  to  the  Sioux  was 
grudgingly  and  enviously  remarked  by  the  Sal- 
teaux,  regular  occupants  of  the  settlement,  who 
jealously  regarded  all  such  gifts  as  their  own  par- 
ticular perquisites. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  155 

The  Sioux  camp  had  gradually  increased  in  num- 
bers towards  the  close  of  the  year,  to  about  six 
hundred,  through  the  continued  arrivals  of  small 
parties.  Words  can  scarcely  convey  to  those  who 
have  themselves  seen  nothing  of  the  kind,  any  ade- 
quate idea  of  the  extremity  of  the  destitution  to 
which  these  people  were  reduced.  It  was  seen  in 
the  gaunt,  skeleton  look  of  the  men,  who  came  with 
hoarse  voices,  to  implore  aid  at  Fort  Garry,  and  in 
the  hopeless,  wolfish  glance  of  their  eyes.  It  was 
with  difficulty  that  they  could  be  prevented  from 
laying  violent  hands  on  anything  eatable,  and  help- 
ing themselves.  Most  of  them  were,  indeed,  almost 
naked. 

The  project  of  driving  them  away  by  force  was 
not  for  a  day  entertained  by  the  men  in  ofiice.  The 
act  would  have  been  tantamount  to  murder.  They 
were  without  clothing,  and  the  thermometer  was 
ranging  between  twenty  and  forty  degrees  below 
zero.  They  had  not  even  the  necessary  wire  to 
snare  a  rabbit.  Usually  as  much  adverse  to  part 
with  their  children,  to  be  educated  by  the  whites, 
as  the  latter  would  be  to  abandon  their  offspring  to 
them,  they  then  sold  their  children  gladly  to  any 
who  would  give  them  food  in  exchange.  Three 
young  white  children  whose  parents  has  been  mas- 
sacred, were  taken  from  them  and  cared  for  by 
private  settlers.  The  Grey  Nuns  of  the  little  Con- 
vent of  St.  Francois  Xavoir  took  advantage  of  the 
presence  of  a  party  near  their  residence  to  purchase 
a  boy  and  three  girls  from  them,*  for  an  equivalent 
of  120  pounds  of  dried  meat,  and  would  have  bought 
a  greater  number  had  they  possessed  the  means  to 
buy  and  care  for  them. 


156  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBIC  A, 

''After  being  assured  of  a  large  supply  of  provis- 
ions, J  the  Sioux  promised  the  executive  officer  of 
the^Hudson's  Bay  Company,  Governor  Dallas,  to 
leave  [the  settlement,  and  actually  quitted  their 
camp  on  the  25th  of  December.  They  did  not, 
however,  proceed  farther  than  the  out-post  of  White 
Horse  Plain,  twenty- live  miles  from  Fort  Garry. 
There  they  halted  and  demanded  ammunition,, 
which  was  peremptorily  refused,  though  not  with- 
out strong  misgiving  that  they  would  help  them- 
selves. This  they  did  not  attempt,  and  some  more 
provisions  were  distributed  among  them  through 
the  agency  of  private  parties  so  employed  that  the 
Indians  might  not  know  they  were  indebted  to  the 
government,  which  had  they  known,  might  have 
encouraged  them  to  increase  their  demands. 

"  To  the  great  dissatisfaction  of  the  Salteaux,  they 
then  spread  themselves  in  bands  over  the  country. 
A  large  number  of  them  went  to  Lake  Manitoba, 
and  were  extremely  successful  in  catching  jack  fish 
under  the  ice.  The  provisions  supphed  them  on  the 
public  account  were  estimated  at  a  total  value  of 
about  ^400. 

"  Early  in  January,  1864,  an  event  occurred  which 
gave  a  decided  impetus  to  their  withdrawal  from  the 
colony.  Some  officers  attached  to  Major  Hatch's 
battalion,  then  stationed  at  Pembina,  on  the  bound- 
ary hne  between  the  British  possessions  and  the 
United  States,  visited  the  settlement  and  gained 
some  of  its  residents  over  to  their  interests,  to  such 
an  extent  that  they  cordially  entered  into  a  scheme 
for  kidnapping  some  of  the  principal  chiefs.  ''  Little 
Six,"  a  half-brother  of  "  Little  Crow,"  and  one  of  hia. 


AND   WONDEKS    OF    TiiE   WEST.  157 

followers  named  "Medicine  Bottle,"  were  selected 
as  the  men  to  be  caught.  These  Indians  had  been 
particularly  conspicuous  in  the  Minnesota  massacre, 
the  former  having  on  one  occasion  surrounded  a 
school-house  filled  with  little  children,  locked  the 
door  and  fired  the  building.  They  were  at  that  time 
•connected  with  the  main  band  located  near  Lake 
Manitoba.  At  an  appointed  date,  a  half-breed  was 
engaged  to  visit  the  Sioux  camp,  and  with  an  ap- 
pearance of  urgency  and  haste,  to  induce  the  two 
chiefs  to  accompany  him  back  to  Fort  Garry  to  meet 
in  council  with  Governor  Dallas.  The  Indians  were 
suspicious,  but  were  at  last  prevailed  upon  to  go, 
and  the  driver  timed  his  gait  so  as  to  reach  the  town 
shortly  after  dark. 

"  There  they  were  landed  at  the  store  of  a  Scotch 
free-trader,  shown  into  a  back  room,  andtoldtomake 
themselves  comfortable  until  the  arrival  of  the  Gov- 
ernor. Meanwhile  they  were  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion through  interpreters,  and  freely  phed  with  liq- 
uor. As  the  drinking  continued,  the  glasses  given 
to  the  unsuspecting  chiefs  were  filled  with  laudanum, 
only  sHghtly  flavored  with  spirits.  As  a  result,  in  a 
short  time  they  were  insensible.  Dog-sledges  were 
in  readiness,  and  on  these  the  Indians  were  laid  pros- 
trate and  bound  down  securely  w^ith  ropes.  Two 
half-breed  drivers  made  the  journey  to  Pembina  in 
one  night — about  seventy- five  miles — the  Indians 
not  awaking  until,  to  their  surprise  and  consterna- 
tion, they  found  themselves  securely  bound  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  group  of  soldiers,  under  the  command  of 
Major  Hatch.  From  thence  they  were  forwarded  to 
Fort  Schnelhng,  where,  after  due  trial,  they  were 
condemned  and  executed. 


158 

"In  May,  of  the  same  year,  another  event  oc- 
curred to  hasten  their  departure  from  the  colony. 
Early  in  that  month,  the  party  which  had  gone  to 
pass  the  winter  in  fishing  under  the  ice  in  Lake  Man- 
itoba, were  awakened  one  night  by  the  discharge  of 
firearms.  They  found  themselves  surrounded  by  a 
party  of  Bed  Lake  Chippeways,  who  continued  firing 
into  the  lodges  until  break  of  day,  kiUing  six  of  the 
Sioux  outright,  and  so  seriously  wounding  a  number 
of  others  that  fourteen  subsequently  died.  The 
Sioux  being  unable  to  ret  abate  effectually,  only  one 
of  the  attacking  party  fell  a  victim  to  a  stray  shot, 
and  at  sunrise  the  rest  departed. 

"  The  lesson  was  not  lost  upon  the  Sioux,  and  those- 
who  were  hovering  in  small  bands  up  and  down  the 
colony,  realized  that  they  were  in  an  enemy's  coun- 
try, and  the  majority  of  those  who  had  wintered  in 
the  settlement  finally  made  a  peaceful  exit  along 
with  the  Summer  Plain  hunters.  Those  who  were 
most  notorious  in  acts  of  barbarity  in  the  border 
massacre,  however,  remained  behind,  fearful  of  that, 
recognition  in  the  United  States  which  must  come 
sooner  or  later.  They  numbered  nearly  200  souls, 
including,  of  course,  their  famihes.  During  the 
summer  they  moved  beyond  the  outskirts  of  the 
settlement,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  took  up  a. 
permanent  abode  in  the  Riding  Mountains,  west  of 
Lake  Manitoba,  where  they  still  remain. 

"  I  have  been  thus  minute  in  recording  the  move- 
ments of  this  band  of  Sioux,  both  as  a  matter  of 
history,  and  to  account  for  their  presence  in  the 
Territory  where  the  events  which  I  am  about  ta 
relate  transpired. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  159 

"  I  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  early  spring 
months  of  the  year  1868  in  shooting  watex-fowl 
among  the  islets  and  estuaries  of  Lake  Manitoba. 
I  established  my  headquarters  at  a  Company's  post, 
over  whose  affairs  an  intimate  friend  presided,  and 
from  thence  made  prolonged  forays  on  the  feathered 
tribes.  As  the  season  advanced,  however,  my  taste 
for  that  sport  waned,  and  I  sought  other  modes  of 
chase  and  fresh  fields  for  excitement  and  adventure. 
In  the  month  of  June,  I  fell  in  with  one  Pierre 
Lavie,  a  French  and  Cree  half-breed  of  Hfe-long 
experience  in  the  wilds  of  the  Northwest." 

"  Bless  me  1 "  exclaimed  Pettibone.  "  I  know  Lavie 
as  well  as  I  do  any  of  the  boys." 

"  Then  Lavie  might  safely  boast  of  your  acquain- 
taince.  But  as  I  was  saying,  at  the  recommenda- 
tion of  my  Hudson's  Bay  friend,  I  joined  myself  to 
him  as  the  most  suitable  person  under  whose  guid- 
ance to  acquire  the  experience  I  sought;  and  I 
was  assured  if  I  followed  him,  I  would  not  lack  for 
adventure.  Lavie  had  been  formerly  in  the  employ 
of  the  Company  as  a  trader  among  the  Indians,  and 
had  thus  acquired  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  habits  and  traits  of  all  the  tribes  from  the  Mis- 
souri to  the  Saskatchewan,  and  from  Lake  Superior 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  was  a  hnguist,  and 
spoke  with  fluency  seven  Indian  dialects.  He  was 
about  forty-seven  years  of  age ;  had  been  thirteen 
years  in  the  Company's  service,  and  had  followed 
trapping,  plain  hunting  and  trading  for  a  consid- 
erable longer  period.  The  physical  build  of  the 
man  was  perfect — tall,  powerful  and  athletic;  in 
color  nearly  resembhng  an  Indian,  but  in  aU  else 


160 


LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKIOA, 


white,  when  among  whites.  He  spoke  EngUsh  in  a 
tolerable  fashion,  and  unHke  most  half-breeds,  was 
willing  to  speak  it  when  he  experienced  my  lame 
French. 

"  Lavie  proposed  spending  the  summer  in  trading 
among  the  bands  of  Indians  scattered  over  the  Ter- 
ritory embraced  in  the  triangle  of  which  Lake  Mani- 
toba, Swan  Kiver  and  Fort  EUice  would  form  the 
angles.  I  arranged  to  accompany  him  partly  as  an 
assistant  and  partly  as  a  passenger,  if  I  may  use 
the  word,  whom  he  was  to  teach  the  mysteries  of 
plain  and  woodcraft,  to  protect  and  care  for,  in  con- 
sideration of  a  certain  sum  of  Her  Majesty's  coin 
in  hand  paid. 

"  It  was  the  12th  of  June,  if  I  remember  aright, 
when  we  left  Oak  Point,  on  Lake  Manitoba.  Our 
outfit  consisted  of  three  of  the  wooden  carts  of  the 
country,  drawn  by  as  many  ponies,  and  an  extra 
saddle-horse,  in  case  of  need.  I  had  proposed  riding 
a  horse  of  my  own,  but  in  consideration  of  the  fact 
that  we  would  not  enter  a  buffalo  country,  and  the 
trouble  his  care  would  cause  me,  I  relinquished  the 
project;  all  the  more  easily  because  I  knew  the 
extra  pony  was  at  my  service  when  desired. 

"  The  carts  were  loaded  with  our  personal  effects 
— scant  enough — a  skin  tent,  and  the  outfit  of  goods 
for  the  Indian  trade.  In  this  outfit  I  had,  at  the 
invitation  of  Lavie,  and  by  the  advice  of  my  friend, 
invested  a  smaU  capital.  The  half-breed  was  doubt- 
less infiuenced  in  his  invitation  by  the  idea  that  my 
being  pecuniarily  interested  in  the  outfit  would  have 
the  effect  of  rendering  me  careless  in  the  pursuit  of 
the  chase,  and  more  attentive  to  the  object  of  his 


AND    WONDERS    OF    THE    WEST.  161 

labors — a  profitable  trade ;  while  my  friend,  by  his 
advice,  simply  felt  assured  that  I  could  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  my  trip  in  that  way.  Lavie  proposed 
taking  into  our  company  an  adopted  boy  named 
*  Johnny,'  a  young  half-breed,  about  fourteen  years 
of  age. 

"  As  I  said  before,  on  the  12th  of  June  we  started 
across  the  base  of  our  triangle,  following  the  weU- 
beaten  Saskatchewan  road  for  Fort  EUice,  at  the 
confluence  of  Beaver  Creek  and  the  Assiniboine. 
Our  immediate  object  in  pursuing  this  route  was  to 
intercept  the  late  plain  hunters  and  Indians  on  their 
way  to  the  settlement  to  dispose  of  their  winter's 
catch  of  furs,  and  if  possible  barter  our  outfit. 
Nothing  occurred  on  the  journey  save  the  ordinary 
routine  of  plain  life.  On  reaching  the  vicinity  of 
the  fort,  we  were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  a  large 
number  of  Indians  and  hunters  encamped,  and  suc- 
ceeded so  well  in  trade,  that  in  a  comparatively 
short  time  our  entire  supply  of  goods  was  converted 
into  robes  and  fine  furs. 

"  Pleased  with  our  success,  it  was  determined  to 
send  Johnny  back  to  Oak  Point  with  the  furs  and 
two  of  the  carts,  where  he  was  to  store  his  load,  and 
obtain  a  new  supply  of  goods  from  my  friend ;  re- 
turning to  meet  us  at  a  point  on  Pine  Creek,  between 
Fort  Ellice  and  the  Biding  Mountains,  where  we 
would  await  his  arrival.  His  absence  need  not  ex- 
ceed three  weeks.  Johnny,  starting  back  in  company 
with  some  half-breed  traders,  Lavie  and  myself  with 
the  remaining  cart  and  spare  horse,  directed  our 
steps  toward  the  head  waters  of  Pine  Creek. 

"  The  country  in  the  region  of  Pine,  SheU  and  Oak 


162 

Creeks,  dignified  on  the  maps  by  the  name  of  rivers, 
partakes  entirely  of  the  character  of  the  prairie. 
Over  the  level  expanse  are  scattered  bluffs  of  cotton- 
wood  trees,  whose  blackened  stems  betray  the  rav- 
ages of  the  annual  prairie  fires  sweeping  through 
them." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  bluffs  of  trees?"  asked 
Warrington,  who  was  a  great  stickler  for  the  King's 
Enghsh. 

"  The  term  bluff  is  used  to  designate  a  small  grove, 
clump  of  trees,  or  a  copse.  The  prairies  of  British 
America  abound  with  them.  Though  the  term  may 
not  be  strictly  correct,  yet  it  is  the  one  invariably 
used  in  the  North,  and  so  I  adopt  it. 

^'  The  streams  are  worn  into  the  loose  soil,  far  be- 
neath the  surface,  and  are  bounded  by  precipitous 
banks.  The  prairies  abound  in  numerous  varieties 
of  small  game,  varied,  however,  with  a  bear,  occas- 
ionally, and  herds  of  cabre  deer ;  while  the  waters 
yield  a  plentiful  supply  of  water-fowl  and  fish.  Over 
this  Arcadian  territory,  Lavie  and  I  wandered  rest- 
lessly, hunting  and  fishing,  for  two  weeks,  meeting 
with  but  an  occasional  savage,  and  disturbed  by 
none.  The  Salteaux  and  the  Crees,  however,  range 
over  this  portion  of  country,  and  are  peaceably  dis- 
posed. 

"  Surfeited  at  last  with  the,  to  him,  monotonous 
hfe,  Lavie  suggested,  one  evening  as  we  sat  by  the 
camp  fire,  that  in  the  week  intervening  before  the 
return  of  Johnny,  we  pay  a  visit  to  the  Sioux  camp, 
in  the  Kiding  Mountains.  The  object  to  be  attained 
by  the  visit  was  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  peltries 
they  had  for  barter,  and  to  open  negotiations  for 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         163 

trade  on  the  arrival  of  our  goods.  The  project  im- 
pressed me  favorably.  The  idea  of  any  personal 
danger  being  involved  in  the  visit  never  occurred  to 
me,  as  I  supposed  the  Sioux  would  take  me  for  an 
Enghshman  or  a  Canadian — I  never  dreamed  of  be- 
ing taken  for  an  American,  though  of  all  nationah- 
ties  next  to  my  own  I  would  prefer  being  counted  as- 
one  of  you." 

'^  Aye,  aye,"  approvingly  exclaimed  Warrington,, 
whose  rubicund  face,  broad  shoulders,  capacious 
chest  and  obesity,  will  never  lead  to  a  mistake  in  his 
nationahty.    Barstow  continued : 

^'On  the  following  morning  we  started,  and 
reached  the  mountains  toward  their  northern  ex- 
tremity, and  following  an  easterly  direction,  arrived, 
at  the  Sioux  camp  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day.. 
It  was  situated  in  a  dense  grove  of  cottonwood  on 
the  banks  of  a  small  stream,  to  which  ours  bears  a 
resemblance.  The  number  of  lodges  forming  the 
httle  village  was  twenty-seven.  The  chief  in  com- 
mand was  named  "  The  Leaf,"  and  had  borne  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  Minnesota  massacre. 

"  It  was  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
we  arrived,  having  started  at  day-break  and  made  a 
stage  before  breakfast,  and  we  found  the  majority 
of  the  male  portion  of  the  village  in  camp.  We  rode 
boldly  up,  loosed  our  horses  and  turned  them  out  to 
graze,  Lavie  all  the  while  carrying  on  an  animated 
conversation  with  the  Sioux,  by  whom  we  were  at 
once  surrounded.  He  was  a  perfect  master  of  the  dia- 
lect, while  I  understood  not  a  word.  Our  labor  com- 
pleted, we  entered  the  village,  and  partook  of  some 
meat,  which  was  set  before  us.    After  this,  we  sat 


164  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEBICA, 

and  smoked,  while  Lavie  sounded  the  Indians  on  the 
prospective  trade.  We  had  both  retained  our  guns, 
and  my  own,  a  repeating  rifle  of  the  Henry  pattern, 
lay  across  my  knees,  as  I  sat  cross-legged  on  the 
ground. 

"  A  number  of  savages  had  approached  closely  to 
where  I  sat,  and  looked  curiously  at  the  gun,  but 
had  not  touched  it.  As  they  had  done  so,  I  noticed 
that  Lavie  regarded  them  earnestly.  At  length  one 
fellow,  bolder  than  the  rest,  came  in  front  of  me, 
and  looking  me  squarely  in  the  eyes,  took  the  rifle 
from  my  knees  and  proceeded  to  examine  it.  At  a 
loss  how  to  act,  I  looked  to  Lavie  for  a  sign,  but  he 
was  apparently  engrossed  in  conversation  and  indif- 
ferent to  what  was  going  on. 

"  The  gun  was  however  returned  by  thejindian, 
after  a  short  examination,  but  had  scarcely  touched 
my  knees  when  it  was  taken  up  by  another.  This 
time  it  was  not  returned,  but  was  passed  from  hand 
to  hand  for  an  examination.  I  began  to  grow 
alarmed,  and  again  looked  toward  Lavie,  but  he  was 
still  talking  and  apparently  indifferent.  My  tran- 
quility was  not  augmented  by  the  approach  of  an ' 
old  Indian,  who,  after  casting  a  searching  glance  in 
my  face,  sat  down  close  beside  me  and  touching  me 
with  his  elbow,  said — '  Yangee,  Yangee.' 

"  My  alarm  and  excitement  at  this,  and  the  spirit- 
ing away  of  my  rifle,  grew  intense,  and  I  cast  an 
appeahng  glance  at  Lavie.  He  was  just  rising 
from  the  ground  and  apparently  addressing  his  part- 
ing words  to  the  '  Leaf.'  In  the  calmest  and  most 
indifferent  tones  he  told  me  to  get  my  gun — then  in 
the  hands  of   an  Indian  on  the   outskirts  of  the 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         165 

crowd — and  follow  him.  As  I  knew  that  Lavie's 
intention  had  been  to  pass  the  day  and  night  at  the  vil- 
lage, my  suspicions  of  danger  were  more  thoroughly 
than  ever  aroused.  However,  assuming  as  careless 
a  manner  as  my  excitement  would  permit,  I  ap- 
proached the  Indian,  took  the  gun  from  his  hands 
and  joined  Lavie,  who  was  harnessing  the  horse  to 
the  cart  and  still  talking  to  the  '  Leaf. '  As  I  passed 
him,  I  hurriedly  asked  what  was  the  matter,  but  a 
low  ^  keep  still '  was  the  only  reply.  Suddenly 
thinking  of  the  probabihty  of  some  of  the  Sioux 
speaking  EngHsh,  I  kept  still.  When  the  horses 
were  ready,  Lavie  motioned  me  into  the  cart,  while 
he,  with  farewells  in  gutteral  Sioux,  mounted  the 
horse  and  took  the  trail  in  an  opposite  direction 
from  that  which  he  came.  We  trotted  slowly  off 
while  within  sight  of  the  camp,  but  when  a  mile 
was  placed  between  it  and  ourselves,  and  we  were 
hidden  from  view  by.  intervening  bluffs  of  cotton- 
wood,  our  pace  became  as  rapid  as  we  could  well 
sustain. 

I  had  repeatedly  asked  Lavie  what  the  trouble 
was,  but  had  thus  far  obtained  no  answer,  but  a 
short  'drive  on,  drive  on;'  but  he  now  rode  along 
side  the  cart  and  told  me  in  hurried  and  excited 
French  that  had  we  remained  much  longer  in  the 
village,  the  Sioux  would  have  killed  me;  at  the 
same  time  blaming  himself  for  having  brought  me 
into  the  danger  as  he  was  aware  that  I  had  indirectly 
aided  Major  Hatch — a  fact  which  the  savages  evi- 
dently also  knew.  Nothing  more  was  said  on  either 
side,  I  being  occupied  in  thinking  over  my  escape, 
and  Lavie  engaged  in  urging  on  the  horses  and 
doubhng  the  bluffs  in  a  fox-like  manner. 


166  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

It  must  have  been  nearly  ten  o'clock  when  we 
left  the  Sioux  village,  and  we  kept  up  our  tremen- 
dous pace  until  about  three  in  the  afternoon,  only- 
stopping  once  to  change  the  position  of  the  horses 
from  cart  to  saddle.  From  the  silence  of  Lavie, 
who  was  usually  talkative,  I  argued  that  he  feared 
the  savages  would  follow  yet,  and  attempt  my  de- 
struction ;  and  this  thought  so  worked  upon  me  as 
to  render  me  extremely  nervous  and  excited-.  My 
hope  however,  lay  in  the  fact  of  the  Indians  having 
no  horses,  and  our  consequent  abihty  to  outrun 
them.  I  was  unaware  at  the  time  that  we  were 
following  the  base  of  the  hiUs,  which  here  make  a 
turn  like  a  horse-shoe,  and  that  the  savages  could, 
by  crossing  straight  over  the  hiUs,  overtake  us. 

The  horses  were  showing  signs  of  great  exhaus- 
tion, when  we  halted  by  a  timber  bluff,  by  the  side 
of  which  was  a  small  pond,  some  twelve  feet  in 
diameter.  The  water  in  this  pond  was  very  shal- 
low, and  some  two  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
plain.  The  bluff  of  timber  was  about  thirty  feet  in 
length  and  fifteen  feet  through,  of  smaU.  cotton- 
wood  trees,  standing  so  thickly  together  that 
though  when  on  the  border  of  the  bluff,  one  could 
see  through  it  to  the  prairie  beyond,  yet  he  could 
not  be  seen  himself  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred 
yards. 

After  turning  the  horses  out  to  grass,  and  while 
discussing  a  cold  dinner,  Lavie  assured  me  that  we 
were  far  enough  now  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Sioux, 
but  that  in  order  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  he 
proposed  travehng  on  into  the  night,  as  soon  as  the 
horses  were  sufficiently  rested.    He  explained  his 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  167 

having  taken  the  opposite  direction  from  that 
whence  we  came,  in  order  to  mislead  the  Indians, 
but  that  he  intended  to  double  back  that  night,  to 
the  head  waters  of  the  Oak  River,  and  from  thence 
to  the  place  of  meeting  with  Johnny.  Under  these 
assurances,  my  excitement  was  quieted  so  that, 
after  a  rest  of  an  hour  or  more,  Lavie  started  after 
the  horses ;  I  was  quite  restored,  save  the  nervous- 
ness arising  from  the  events  of  the  morning. 

"  I  lay  upon  the  ground,  smoking  for  some  time, 
after  his  departure,  when  I  began  to  wonder  what 
was  delaying  him  so  long.  Rising  to  my  feet,  I 
went  beyond  the  end  of  the  bluff  to  obtain  a  clear 
view  of  the  prairie.  I  had  just  passed  the  last  trees, 
when,  to  my  horror  and  consternation,  I  saw  beyond 
the  nearest  bluff,  and  stealthily  approaching  it,  three 
Sioux  Indians,  with  painted  faces  and  guns  in  their 
hands.  Their  plan,  evidently,  was  to  reach  the  bluffs 
and  descend  upon  me  at  the  first  good  opportunity. 
They  saw  me,  however,  at  the  same  moment  that  I 
discovered  them,  and,  avoiding  all  effort  at  conceal- 
ment, ran  boldly  for  the  copse.  I  ran  at  ,once  for 
my  rifle,  and  plunging  into  the  bluff',  penetrated  to 
the  outskirts  of  the  side  facing  the  copse,  which  con- 
cealed the  Sioux.  Here  I  lay  down  among  the 
shoots  and  twigs,  almost  beside  myself  with  fear, 
and  trembhng  in  every  nerve. 

"  The  situation  now  stood  thus:  Three  Indians 
bent  on  murder,  concealed  in  the  cottonwood  bluff; 
and  one  nervous  and  excited  white  man,  hidden  in 
another  copse,  with  an  intervening  space  of  about 
600  yards  between  them. 

''  I  peered  anxiously  toward  the  bluff  which  con- 


168  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA 


cealed  the  savages.  All  was  still;  nothing  could  be 
seen.  My  rifle  would  easily  carry  that  far,  could  I 
see  an  Indian  and  control  my  nerves  sufficiently  to 
take  an  accurate  aim.  I  endeavored  to  calm  myseK 
and  to  think  rationally  what  course  of  action  to  pur- 
sue. It  was  clear  that  I  must  act  on  the  defensive 
altogether,  and  that  if  I  could  hold  out  until  Lavie 
came,  all  might  go  well.  But  a  vague  fear  that  per- 
haps he  had  deserted  me,  or  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians,  already  possessed  me.  It  was  plain 
there  was  no  way  for  the  savages  to  attack  me  but 
by  charging  over  the  open  space,  when  I  could  get 
at  least  one  shot,  if  not  two.  But  then  what? 
Still,  I  argued,  that  knowing  my  rifle  to  be  a  repeat- 
ing one,  and  themselves  armed  with  the  common 
trading  guns,  they  would  not  attempt  a  charge. 
And  then  I  knew  the  savage  character  sufficiently 
well  to  beheve  they  would  not  attack  without  a  de- 
cided advantage.  True,  they  might  separate  and 
approach  singly  from  different  quarters;  but  stiU 
they  would  have  to  come  over  the  open  space  where 
I  could  get  a  shot.  These  thoughts  passed  through 
my  mind  instantaneously,  while  I  intently  watched 
the  opposite  copse.  There  was  not  a  sign  of  life 
in  it. 

"Five  —  ten  minutes  passed,  without  a  sound. 
The  suspense  was  awful.  AU  my  senses  were  pre- 
ternaturally  acute.  I  remember  feehng  an  ant 
crawling  over  my  hand  with  a  sensation  that  made 
my  flesh  creep.  I  fancied  I  could  hear  it  crawl. 
There  was  a  small  scarlet  flower  springing  from  a 
light- green  stem  near  the  front  side  of  my  rifle.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  I  needed  no  microscope  to  count 


AND   WONDEKS    OF   THE   WEST.  169" 

the  minutest  vein  in  its  petals.  I  could  distinguish 
the  slightest  motion  of  the  leaves  in  the  neighbor- 
ing hammock.  I  was  lying  on  my  face,  with  the 
gun  extended  in  front,  ready  to  use.  I  raised  it^ 
every  few  minutes  to  try  my  nerves  and  ascertain 
if  I  could  fire  with  accuracy,  when  the  moment 
came.  But  I  was  more  shaky  than  ever,  and  feared 
lest  I  should  fail  altogether. 

"  I  was  engaged  like  this  when  I  saw  a  sudden 
flash  issue  from  the  bluff  where  the  savages  lay 
concealed.  A  sharp  report  followed,  and  a  ball  ex- 
hausted its  force  some  distance  in  front,  but  in  a- 
direct  Hne  of  me.  It  was  evident  they  knew  in 
what  portion  of  the  copse  I  lay  hidden.  But  why 
tire  when  they  knew  the  ball  would  not  reach  me? 
Possibly  to  attract  my  fire  in  return.  But  they 
knew  I  had  sixteen  shots  without  reloading.  I  be- 
came almost  paralyzed  with  a  sudden  fear  that  the 
Sioux  were  approaching  from  different  directions, 
and  that  this  was  the  signal  to  charge.  I  started 
up  and  peered  through  the  trees  in  all  directions^ 
but  discovered  no  one.    What  could  it  mean? 

"  I  am  probably  no  greater  physical  coward  than 
the  majority  of  men.  This  was  not  the  first  time, 
either,  that  I  had  been  under  fire.  But  I  had  always 
been  in  company  with  others  when  so  placed.  I  was- 
fuUy  determined  to  fight  the  Sioux  to  the  bitter  end. 
But  I  confess  I  was  almost  beside  myself  wdth  sheer 
fright.  If  they  would  only  show  themselves,  or 
give  me  an  inkling  of  their  plan  of  attack !  This 
silence  and  mystery  was  infinitely  more  unendura- 
ble than  any  open  charge.  I  resolved  to  return  the 
fire,  then  I  thought  it  useless,  as  I  had  no  definite- 


170 

object  to  shoot  at.  I  cursed  Lavie  for  having  left 
me  alone,  and  mentally  accused  him  of  having  done 
so  advisedly.  I  pictured  to  myself  how  I  would 
look  before  sundown,  lying  stretched  out  on  the 
prairie,  my  body  riddled  with  shot,  my  scalp  torn 
off.  To  this  feeling  succeeded  one  of  sullen  apathy ; 
I  was  a  dead  man,  but  I  would  kill  before  I  died.  I 
thirsted  for  blood ;  I  would  fight  to  the  last  gasp. 
This  feehng  was  better  for  me,  and  I  grew  calmer 
and  my  nerves  steadier. 

The  afternoon  was  intensely  warm,  and  I  had 
just  wiped  the  perspiration  from  my  face,  and 
changed  my  position  shghtly,  in  order  to  elevate 
my  rifle,  when  from  the  ends  and  center  of  the 
bluff  came  the  three  Sioux,  charging,  with  loud 
yells,  toward  me.  My  gun  was  pointed  toward  the 
end  of  the  bluff,  from  whence  the  shot  had  issued, 
and  without  materially  altering  its  position  I  fired. 
The  Sioux  plunged  forward  on  his  face,  and  I  knew 
I  had  but  two  enemies  to  meet.  But  they  were 
coming  with  fearful  speed  toward  me.  By  the  time 
I  had  reloaded,  and  risen  to  my  feet,  they  were 
within  sixty  yards  of  me,  and  had  their  guns  pointed 
to  fire.  Strange  to  say,  I  was  calm,  now  that  the 
exciting  moment  had  arrived.  I  fully  expected  to 
die,  but  I  would  fight.  Scarcely  pausing  to  take 
aim,  I  fired  at  the  foremost  savage,  and  then  incon- 
tinently fled.  As  I  did  so,  I  felt  a  sharp  blow  upon 
the  knee,  as  if  it  had  been  struck  with  a  stick,  and 
I  knew  I  was  hit.  I  ran,  however,  for  the  pond, 
not  knowing  whether  there  were  two  foes  to  fight 
•or  only  one,  and  plunged  in,  lying  flat  under  the 
bank.     If  there  were  two  Indians,  the  guns  of  both 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         171 

were  empty,  and  I  at  once  raised  my  rifle  and  head 
above  the  bank  to  find  out.  I  saw  one  Indian, 
something  more  than  half-way  through  the  bluff 
which  impeded  his  progress ;  but  he  dropped  to  the 
ground — our  eyes  met. 

My  situation  was  now  worse  than  before.  I  could 
not  raise  my  head  above  the  bank  without  attract- 
ing the  fire  of  the  Indians,  who  were  on  a  level  two 
feet  above  me.  If  there  were  two  remaining,  one  of 
them  could  easily  and  with  safety  approach  from 
the  rear,  and  shoot  me.  And  whether  there  was 
one  or  two,  they  were  only  twenty  or  twenty -five 
yards  distant.  The  seconds  in  that  moment  of  time 
seemed  ages.  The  sun  flamed  down  on  me  with  in- 
tense heat.  To  add  to  my  despondency,  I  felt  the 
warm  blood  trickle  from  my  wounded  knee,  and  a 
sharp  pain  running  through  it.  The  suspense  was 
agonizing,  but  I  was  resigned  to  what  I  conceived 
io  be  my  inevitable  doom.  A  thought  suggested 
that  by  raising  my  hat  above  the  level  of  the  bank, 
I  might  draw  the  Indian's  fire,  and  gain  an  oppor- 
tunity of  returning  it,  while  their  guns  were  empty. 
The  ruse  was  successful.  I  raised  the  hat  and  a 
bullet  passed  through  it.  But  only  one  shot  was 
fired,  and  I  dared  not  raise  my  head  lest  its  fellow 
should  kill  me.  So  I  lay  still  with  the  muzzle  of 
my  gun  above  the  bank,  awaiting  the  final  charge 
of  the  Sioux.  But  they  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  risk 
a  charge. 

^'  Sound  can  be  heard  when  the  ear  is  placed  close 
to  the  earth,  incredible  distances.  Stretched  out  as 
I  was,  with  every  sense  exerted  to  the  utmost  ten- 
.fiion,  I  suddenly  fancied  I  heard  a  rumbling  noise. 


172  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

The  sound  grew  more  distinct,  and  resolved  itself 
into  regular  beats.  A  moment  more,  and  I  distin- 
guished the  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs  striking  the 
prairie  sod.  I  scarcely  dared  hope  it  might  he  Lavie, 
when  the  sound  suddenly  ceased,  and  I  heard  my 
name  called.  It  was  Lavie's  voice,  and  I  shouted 
in  return.  I  told  him  there  were  two  Sioux  in  the 
timber  bluff.  He  answered  me  in  French,  teUing 
me  to  he  still,  but  to  be  ready  to  jump. 

"  I  now^  became,  not  a  participant,  nor  a  specta- 
tor, but  a  listener  to  events.  From  the  sound,  I 
judged  Lavie  to  be  about  100  yards  distant.  I  heard 
the  sound  of  hoofs  moving  in  the  direction  of  the 
open  space  between  the  two  bluffs,  where  the  first 
Indian  had  fallen,  but  they  did  not  pass  into  it. 
Presently  they  returned,  evidently  toward  the  rear 
of  the  pond,  where  I  lay.  Then  they  ceased  alto- 
gether, and  I  heard  Lavie  shout  in  his  patois — ^  Ah, 
Boy,  you  got  two  of  them,  eh?' 

"  I  cannot  describe  the  sensation  of  rehef  which 
came  over  me  at  this  assurance,  that  but  one  Indian 
remained.  I  shouted  to  Lavie  that  if  two  were 
dead,  there  remained  but  one  in  the  bluff.  He  told 
me,  in  reply,  to  be  quiet,  and  a  moment  later  a  baU 
whizzed  over  my  head  into  the  timber. 

"  Lavie  was  armed  with  a  breech-loading  carbine, 
which  carried  eight  baUs.  He  had,  also,  an  extra 
tube,  containing  as  many  more.  He  continued  fir- 
ing into  the  bluff,  until  he  had  discharged  four- 
teen loads,  firing  from  near  the  prairie  level.  Dur- 
ing the  fusilade,  I  lay  still  on  my  face,  though  ready 
at  any  time  to  act.  Finally,  satisfied  that  no  living 
thing  remained  in  the  bluffs,  Lavie  reloaded,  and 


AND    WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST. 


173 


keeping  his  horse  between  himself  and  the  copse, 
advanced  to  the  pond.  He  told  me  to  jump  sud- 
denly up  and  get  behind  the  horse.  This  I  did, 
though  at  the  cost  of  great  pain   from  my  knee. 


INDIAN  MOTHER  AND  HER  CHILD. 


Then  we  moved  off  a  distance  of  100  yards,  and, 
taking  positions  for  a  cross  fire,  raked  the  bluff  again 
thoroughly,  with  our  breech-loaders.     It  was  unnec- 
essary, however ;  the  Sioux  had  probably  fled. 
Lavie  informed  me  that  the  horses,  which  had 


174 

evidently  been  driven  quietly  away  by  the  Sioux  in- 
order  to  separate  us,  had  gone  to  a  marshy  pond 
at  some  distance,  and  one  of  them  had  mired  in 
attempting  to  reach  the  water ;  that  he  had  been 
employed  all  the  time  in  extricating  it  from  the 
swamp,  and  had  only  heard  the  last  shot  of  the 
Sioux,  when  close  enough  to  see  the  flash  of  the 
discharge.  But  he  assured  me  he  had  not  been 
gone  for  over  an  hour.    It  seemed  an  eternity  to  me. 

"No  time  was  lost  in  leaving  the  spot.  We  headed 
for  the  source  of  Oak  Eiver,  and  traveled  on  far 
into  the  night.  When  the  morning  dawned,  I  found 
my  knee,  which  had  been  loosely  bandaged,  so  much 
swollen  and  so  painful,  as  to  threaten  a  serious  re- 
sult. In  view  of  this,  Lavie  pushed  directly  on  for 
Fort  Elhce,  in  which  hospitable  shelter,  having  left 
me,  he  returned  to  meet  Johnny.  I  was  laid  up  su 
month  with  the  wound.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
period,  I  again  joined  Lavie  and  continued  in  his 
company  until  late  in  the  fall,  hunting  and  trading 
with  much  success,  but  never  again  venturing  into 
the  vicinity  of  the  Eiding  Mountains, 

"  I  thought  I  had  finished  my  wanderings  in  the 
wild  regions  of  this  continent ;  but  here  I  am  taking^ 
my  first  watch  while  you  gentlemen  should  be 
sleeping." 

The  fire  was  replenished.  The  company  repaired 
to  the  tents,  while  Barstow  culled  his  floral  speci- 
mens, which  I  volunteered  to  assist  him  in  doing. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  175- 


CHAPTEE  X. 

A  Buffalo  Hunt — A  Friend's  Picture — Discourse  about  Birds. 

Camp  life  under  present  circumstances  was  alto- 
gether a  novel  experience  to  some  of  us,  but  the 
fatigue  of  the  day  was  followed  by  a  night  of  quiet 
and  refreshing  slumber.  The  distant  sounds  of 
coyotes,  or  the  cries  of  night  birds  in  the  copse  in 
which  we  were  encamped,  did  not  disturb  us  in  the 
least,  and  it  was  not  till  an  hour  after  sunrise,  that 
we  were  summoned  to  an  appetizing,  if  rather  simple 
breakfast. 

Early  in  the  day,  while  Mr.  Barstow  was  arrang- 
ing his  herbarium,  Mr.  Warrington  was  trying  his 
luck  with  a  fishing-rod,  and  others  of  the  party  were 
less  profitably  employed.  Pettibone,  who  had  been 
absent  for  an  hour  or  two,  returned  to  camp  with 
the  gratifying  inteUigence  that  a  vast  herd  of  buffa- 
loes were  grazing  at  some  distance  to  the  eastward^ 
affording  a  fine  opportunity  for  a  chase.  Looking  in 
the  direction  indicated,  we  beheld  in  the  distance 
what  appeared  to  be  a  stretch  of  woodland,  but  the 
distance  was  too  great  to  permit  us  to  distinguish 
any  single  object,  and  to  our  vision  there  was 
neither  life  nor  motion  in  the  dark  extending  hne 
to  which  Pettibone  directed  our  attention ;  a  field- 
glass,  however,  confirmed  the  information  he  had 
given ;  not  a  moment  was  lost  in  the  preliminaries 
requisite,  and  we  were  aU  soon  in  the  saddle. 

The  success  of  the  hunt  must  necessarily  depend 


176  *         LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA 


upon  both  skill  and  caution.  Warrington  was  as 
new  to  the  business  as  myself,  but  the  other  gentle- 
men of  the  party  were  veteran  hunters,  and  we 
deemed  ourselves  fortunate  in  thus  having  an  op- 
portunity of  observing  the  mode  of  procedure  by 
adepts.  We  did  not  make  a  direct  charge,  which 
would  have  resulted  in  inglorious  failure,  for  the 
wind  was  rather  fresh  from  the  northwest,  or  in 
other  words,  from  our  point  of  the  compass  towards 
the  huge  beasts,  but  making  a  long  detour,  we  were 
able  to  approach  the  herd  from  the  southeast.  Of 
course  there  was  no  timber  or  aught  else  to  cover 
our  advance,  so  there  was  no  alternative  but  to 
charge  directly  down  upon  them,  trusting  to  the 
speed  of  our  horses  and  to  our  accuracy  in  firing. 
We  were  all  well  mounted,  and  armed  with  the  best 
of  rifles,  but  our  horses  were  as  yet  untried  in  the 
chase. 

This  herd  might  or  might  not  have  been  the  very 
one  we  had  seen  from  the  railroad,  but  in  either 
case  the  animals  quickly  perceived  our  approach 
and  fled,  the  very  ground  trembling  beneath  them. 
Onward  we  dashed,  at  the  utmost  speed  of  our 
ponies,  but  we  were  yet  at  too  great  a  distance  to 
fire  upon  the  game.  We  gained  upon  the  frightened 
creatures,  and  were  soon  within  rifle  range.  It  was 
an  exciting  chase,  and  it  became  very  evident  that 
our  ponies  were  accustomed  to  such  work,  for  they 
betrayed  no  indication  of  fear.  Warrington  was 
the  first  to  fire,  but  his  bullet  would  not  have  hit 
the  broad  side  of  a  country  barn  had  he  been  firing 
at  one  at  twenty  paces,  and  as  he  was  a  better  shot 
than  I,  the  herd  might  have  quietly  paused  to  graze, 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  177 

for  all  the  harm  we  have  should  have  done  them, 
I  suspect;  but  not  so  the  others.  Their  fire  was 
accurate,  and  the  result  most  disastrous  to  the 
buffaloes.  One,  two,  three,  fell  to  the  earth  beneath 
the  unerring  fire,  but  not  till  the  chase  had  been 
continued  for  a  long  time.  Merely  to  wound  and 
cripple  the  game  was  not  for  men  of  their  experi- 
ence and  skill.  They  had  reduced  the  work  of 
kiUing  to  a  fine  art ;  their  bullets  went  directly  to 
the  most  vulnerable  and  vital  part,  and  the  victory 
was  complete. 

It  would  have  been  downright  cruelty  to  have 
longer  continued  the  slaughter,  for  we  had  neither 
need  of  the  beef  nor  facilities  for  its  transportation. 
Contenting  ourselves,  therefore,  with  selecting  the 
best  portions  for  present  use,  we  left  the  carcasses 
for  the  coyotes  and  carried  our  first  trophies  of  buf- 
falo hunting  to  our  camp,  where  the  meat  proved  a 
timely  acquisition  to  our  cuisine. 

While  others  passed  the  rest  of  the  day  in  fish- 
ing, Barstow,  Warrington  and  I  made  a  foray  upon 
the  feathered  tribe,  whenever  desirable  specimens 
presented  themselves,  for  our  English  friends  were 
especially  anxious  to  obtain  a  good  collection  of 
American  birds  and  flowers. 

Warrington,  as  I  should  have  said  earher,  was  a 
cultured  gentleman,  full  of  good  nature,  as  his  jolly, 
rubicund  face,  his  rotund  and  bulky  form,  and  the 
merry  twinkle  of  his  eye  would  indicate.  He  hked 
a  good  dinner,  enjoyed  agreeable  society,  and  was 
never  more  dehghted  than  when  smoking  his  cigar 
and  arranging  his  specimens.  His  jolhty  and  good 
humor  was  perpetual  sunlight.     There  are  persons 

13 


178  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

in  this  great  world  of  ours,  who  cannot  laugh — 
whose  convulsive  efforts  to  do  so  are  abortive,  and 
in  which  there  is  no  more  music  than  in  a  cracked 
clarionet — whose  sheet-iron  faces  seldom  relax  their 
rigidity,  and  whose  very  glance  would  freeze  a  smile 
in  the  most  genial  heart  before  it  could  find  expres- 
sion on  the  hps;  but  the  sight  of  Warrington's 
twinkhng  eyes  and  jolly  face,  and  the  sound  of  his 
musical  laughter — running  through  a  whole  gamut 
of  explosives  of  merriment,  is  the  very  best  remedy 
for  the  "blues."  It  was  always  fair  weather,  rose 
leaves  and  sunshine  with  him,  and  his  fehcitous 
disposition  made  him  a  universal  favorite  with  the 
company,  who  never  wearied  of  his  quaint  dis- 
courses upon  the  bird»  and  flowers  he  handled  so 
tenderly,  and  which  he  never  deprived  of  hf e  without 
first  asking  the  pardon  of  his  victims  for  doing  so. 
At  evening  he  examined  his  prizes  with  all  the  sat- 
isfaction with  which  the  miser  counts  his  gold,  and 
taking  up  one  specimen  after  another,  he  gave  us, 
in  his  peculiar  and  inimitable  manner,  much  inter- 
esting information  concerning  it. 

"However  much  we  may  be  indebted  to  scientists 
for  our  information  as  to  the  varied,  beautiful,  and 
wonderful  works  of  God,  we  cannot  but  regret  that 
analytical  research  is  ever  a  godless  Vandal,  eager 
to  separate  vital  wheels,  and  unable  to  re-animate 
the  beautiful  mechanisms  it  has  destroyed."  So 
would  he  discourse. 

"  To  the  ornithologist,  gun  in  hand,  the  most  ex- 
quisite songster  of  the  orchard,  or  glen,  is  only  val- 
uable as  a  *  specimen;'  and  while  we  avail  ourselves 
of  his  classifications  and  descriptions,  we  must  still 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  179 

be  permitted  to  enter  protest  against  any  and  every- 
one of  his  wanton  destructions  of  innocuous  bird- 
life.  The  dehcate  warbler,  equally  with  the  '  sports- 
man,' is  sentient;  it  has  every  attribute  of  organic 
soul,  and  this,  in  the  erudite  classification  of  the 
scientist,  is  the  only  part  not  noted — for  analysis 
ousted, — it  is  the  whole  bird^  the  residuum  of  bone, 
flesh  and  feathers,  having  no  particular  value, 
except  as  memorial  trace  of  a  flown  ideal  grace, 
exceptional  attribute,  and  divinely-planned  beauty 
that  called  for  pity,  and  whose  wreckage,  because  it 
was  fair,  is  a  mournful  satire  on  the  admiration  of 
man. 

"  That  the  soul  of  the  bird  is  a  divine  emanation, 
separated  and  fallen  from  the  paradisiacal  hfe-tree 
of  which  it  is  a  floating  leaf,  is  the  most  beautiful 
as  well  as  the  most  plausible  theory  of  its  existence. 
Its  plumage  and  form  are  incarnate  grace,  its  com- 
monest motion  the  ideal  one  of  flight,  its  only  lan- 
guage music !  In  its  instinctive  obedience  to  law, 
of  which  it  has  no  self-conscious  knowledge,  its  in- 
spirations of  soaring  and  song,  its  prophetic  antici- 
pations of  the  seasons,  and  migrations  as  certain  as 
the  tides,  are  shadows  of  divine  consciousness ;  and 
that  modern  science,  while  declaring  that  the  bird 
or  beast  of  itseH  has  no  soul,  should  utterly  ignore 
the  palpable  deity  incarnated  in  the  animal  spheres 
— a  principle  the  astute  Egyptians  and  other  an- 
cient scientists  fully  recognized — ^is  proof,  not  so 
much  of  the  acumen  of  the  age  as  of  its  atheism. 

"  Overlooking  this  principle,  ornithology  has  over- 
looked some  vital  hnes  of  classification,  but  none 
the  less,  its  arrangements  are  ingenious  and  exhaus- 


180 


LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA 


tive.  It  does  not,  as  our  first  conception  of  its 
work  would  lead  us  to  expect,  classify  to  any  extent 
by  attributes,  habits  and  diet,  not  even  with  any 
particular  regard  to  size,  but  arranges  the  species  on 
a  basis  of  mechanical  construction,  by  pecuhar 
characteristics  of  the  feet,  bill,  feathers,  etc.  These 
differences,  in  justice  to  science,  we  should  say,  are 
such  as  have  been  found  definitive,  being  a  sort  of 
Creator's  lahel^  and  the  species  are  probably  more 
generically  classified  in  this  way  than  they  could  be 
in  any  other. 


"  That  birddom,  in  its  fallen  estate,  is  a  theocracy, 
is  a  theory  that  a  predominance  of  predatory  habit 
and  carnivorous  diet  most  emphatically  controverts. 
To  all  intents  and  purposes  it  is  a  repubhc,  with     j 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  181 

balances  of  power  nicely  adjusted.  The  wording  of 
science  makes  it  a  'kingdom,'  and  poetry  has  long 
assigned  to  a  well-known  bird  the  crown  and  oft- 
contested  scanty  perquisites  of  a  savage  royalty. 

"  Though  there  are  some  larger,  and  many  hand- 
somer birds,  there  are  none  for  whom  we  should  ever 
expect  to  see  the  Eagle  by  either  Science  or  Poetry 
decrowned.  Emblematical  of  Liberty  and  Empire^ 
the  founders  of  the  great  American  Repubhc,  who 
adopted  this  kingly  soarer  from  the  heraldry  of  other 
realms,  had  they  wished  for  an  entirely  original 
emblem,  would  have  looked  in  vain,  on  earth  or  in 
the  heavens,  for  another  so  suggestive.  Of  this  bird, 
there  are  in  the  world  about  seventy  known  species. 
They  are  of  the  order  of  Baptcres — specific  family, 
Aquihnse.  The  especial  eagle  of  Columbia,  whose 
caricature  is  flung  to  a  milhon  breezes  on  the  Ameri- 
can Repubhc 's  striped  bunting,  is  the  Bald  Eagle, 
one  of  the  most  tameless  and  plucky  of  all  the 
many  varieties, —  scientific  title,  Haliaetus  Leuco- 
cephalus. 

"These  princes  of  the  bird  kingdom  are  rarely 
seen  in  any  inhabited  locahty,  their  safety  depend- 
ing on  their  seclusion.  An  occasional  '  specimen '^ 
is  secured,  but  the  bird  itself  is  rare,  the  family  not 
prolific ;  and  as  the  flag  of  whose  heraldry  it  is  a. 
component  part,  does  not  concede  any  'rights' 
of  either  citizenship  or  hospitable  courtesy  to  it, 
this  old  crown-wearer  and  standard-bearer  of  pom- 
pous earthly  empire  is  in  a  fair  way  to  become,  to 
the  golden  ages  of  the  future,  what  the  extinct 
mastodon  and  ichthyosaurus  are  to  the  erudite  fos- 
sil hunters  and  scientists  of  the  present. 


182  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 

*'  As  the  eagle,  though  not  without  its  virtues,  is 
a  bird  of  prey,  let  those  raourn  who  will, — ^it  is,  in 
common  with  all  slayers  and  animal  food  eaters,  a 
*  golden  age '  antagonist,  and  as  such,  while  still 
deprecating  its  slaughter,  we  must  sadly  own  it 
richly  deserving  of  the  fate  its  rarity  already  fore- 
shadows. 

*^The  eagle  ranks  in  ornithology  as  first  cousin  to 
some  disreputable  denizens  of  bird-dom — to  the 
owl,  kite,  chicken-hawk,  carrion  crow,  turkey-buz- 
zard, etc.  All  these,  though  of  different  famihes, 
being  of  the  order  Baptores.  As  his  aquihne  majesty 
can  not,  by  habits  any  way  superior,  give  the  He  to 
ornithologists'  unflattering  betrayal  of  his  plebian 
origin,  we  readily  accept  the  fact  of  his  humble 
relationships. 

"  The  smaller  birds  of  this  order  are  always  plenty, 
easily  finding  food  and  places  of  concealment,  but 
before  the  advancing  foot  and  gun  of  predatory 
man,  the  larger  sorts  are  gradually  disappearing. 
A  genuine  specimen  of  the  great  grey  owl  is  almost 
as  rare  as  the  eagle,  though  one  with  ample  muscle 
to  carry  off  a  lamb  or  turkey,  is  occasionally  shot 
in  the  vicinity  of  some  unfrequented  glen,  or  large 
stretch  of  woodland.  There  are  something  hke  150 
species  of  owls — family  StrigidcB.  The  larger  varie- 
ties of  these  prey  upon  other  birds  and  small  ani- 
mals, but  the  most  are  held  to  be  fully  as  insectivor- 
ous as  the  robin. 

"The  birds  of  bad  repute — eagles,  owls,  hawks, 
kites,  crows,  cormorants,  vultures,  etc.,  are  not  the 
only  sinners  of  the  winged  race.  Nearly  all  birds 
are  either  whoUy  or  partially,  carnivorous.     The 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.         183 

most,  while  able  to  subsist  and  maintain  perfect 
health  on  a  vegetable  diet,  prefer  the  animal  food, 
and  while  any  subject  creature  exists  that  is  edible 
and  savory,  will  turn  contemptuous  tail  upon  any 
and  all  of  God  and  Nature's  insensitive  and  abund- 
antly-provided vegetarian  sweets.  Even  the  pretty 
and  seemingly  beneficent  humming-bird  is  no  ex- 
€eption;  for  with  a  choice  at  his  refusal  of  "  a  din- 
ner of  herbs  with  love  "  in  the  bells  of  a  hundred 
flowers,  he  turns  from  all,  to  take  as  the  daintiest 
of  tit-bits,  the  sun-roasted,  noon-drowsy  fly  or  bee, 
that  went  down,  as  to  a  first  table,  to  the  deep-hid 
ambrosias  of  Flora  before  him. 

"  That  the  desire  for  animal  food  is  a  perversion  of 
original  nature,  a  result  of  some  species  of  'fall,' 
ought  not  to  be  doubted  by  any  who  accept  as  di- 
vine, the  Mosaic  revelation.  It  is  doubted,  however, 
by  the  most  astute  scientists;  even  the  Darwinians, 
while  admitting  that  all  traits  and  appetites,  equally 
with  the  organs,  are  evolutions,  being  fixed  as  the 
types,  their  theories  fail  to  consider  all  evolutions 
a  progression. 

"  The  Humming  Birds — ranked  by  ornithologists 
as  among  the  Insessores — family,  TrocJiilidce — not- 
withstanding their  hypocrisies  of  pretended  beauty, 
love-and-honey  diet,  are  among  the  most  exquisite 
and  admirable  of  the  feathered  tribe.  They  are  ex- 
clusively American,  and  plenty  at  almost  any  range 
of  latitude  on  this  continent.  There  are,  on  an 
average,  over  two  known  species  for  every  latitudi- 
nal degree  from  pole  to  pole,  400  distinct  varieties, 
according  to  accredited  authorities,  not  being  con- 
sidered too  large  an  estimate !     They  are  co-existent 


184 

with  the  insect — attracting,  honey-producing  floral 
kingdom,  and  are  found  at  any  latitude  not  too 
inclement  for  flowers.  They  are  plenty  in  Kansas,, 
and  not  hard  to  catch,  but  are  easily  injured  by 
handling.  If  fed  according  to  their  acquired  car- 
nivorous habits,  they  can  be  kept  in  cages  and 
domesticated ;  but  almost  all,  who  covetously  entrap 
specimens  of  these  exquisitely-vital  animate  sun- 
beams, are  unaware  that,  fallen  like  the  rest  of 
doomed  mortahty,  they  are  insectivorous. 

"  The  Humming  Bird's  nest  is  so  small  and  so 
securely  hidden,  that  it  is  almost  never  found.  Once 
or  twice  in  a  hfetime  one  may  be  stumbled  upon  It 
is  the  prettiest  little  curiosity  out ;  most  attractive 
when  it  is  fullest — all  the  family  from  papa  to  the 
baby  *  at  home.' 

"  The  bird,  hke  most  of  the  winged  tribes,  is 
migratory,  a  follower  of  the  floral  wave  as  it  fluctu- 
ates back  and  forth  from  its  permanent  base  in  the 
tropics,  over  the  temperate,  and  for  a  short  period 
even  into  the  polar  zones.  The  sweet  breath  of  its 
favorite,  insect  trap,  is  probably  the  httle  migrant's, 
only  trail;  but,  shrewd  as  it  is  liliputian,  to  what- 
ever distance,  as  the  seasons  vary,  it  may  wander, 
it  never  loses  track  of  the  way  back,  never  misses 
the  trains,  and  is  sure  to  bo  on  its  native  sward  at 
the  first  grand  floral  opening. 

"  The  loves  of  '  Jenny  Wren  '  and  '  Cock  Eobin,' 
have  long  been  inscribed  on  '  Mother  Goose's ' 
pages,  a  favorite  legend  of  the  nursery.  Although 
far  too  good  to  be  true,  these  birds  being  inveterate 
enemies,  in  some  essential  respects,  they  are  suffi- 
ciently alike  to  comfortably  wed.     They  are  both 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.         185 

great  gourmands,  and  camiYorons  to  a  large  extent. 

"  The  Robin — Tar  das  Migratorius — is  of  a  very 
prolific  and  hardy  species.  In  our  latitude — super- 
abundantly productive  of  grasshoppers, bugs,  worms, 
etc. — it  is  much  admired  as  being  on  hand  with  the 
earliest  bug.  The  female  is  somewhat  larger  than 
the  male,  but  the  male  has  the  reddest  breast,  pro- 
bably because  his  heart  is  the  warmest.  She  has  all 
the  vocal  organs,  and  is,  equally  with  her  mate,  able 
to  sing;  but,  in  common  with  the  males  of  other 
species,  he  does  the  aesthetics,  while  she  maintains 
an  appearance  of  decorus  incapacity,  oversees  the 
family,  and  spends  her  breath  in  twaddle.  The 
habits  of  the  robin  are  well  known.  It  is  as  easily 
tamed  and  domesticated  as  a  chicken,  but  eats  with 
a  voracity  that  would  breed  a  famine  in  any  ordi- 
nary poultry  yard.  A  fledgling  of  this  species  de- 
vours, on  an  average,  its  own  weight  in  worms, 
bugs,  etc.,  every  twenty-four  hours,  and  will  die, 
after  a  day's  deprivation,  of  famine.  This  gross- 
feeding  and  very  foul-breathed  bird  is  invaluable  as 
an  insect  and  worm  destroyer,  and  being  so  recog- 
nized, it  is,  in  common  with  a  goodly  number  of 
other  species,  protected  by  law. 

**  Of  the  Wrens,  there  are  numerous  varieties. 
Though  smaU  birds,  some  of  them  have  very  pom- 
pous names,  for  instance,  one  species  is  called  Cam- 
2)ylor}iync}ius  Brunneicainllus.  Another,  Thrio tho- 
rns Ludovicianus ;  and  still  another,  Thriothorus 
Berlandieri.  The  Httle  brown  waifs,  known  as 
Snow-Birds — that  come  in  flocks  in  the  dreariest  of 
seasons,  brought  in  on  the  storm-wing,  to  alight 
with  a  cheery  twitter'wherever  a  yet  unrifled  seed^ 


186 

stalk  flutters  above  the  snow, — are  a  species  of 
Wren — Troglodytes  Hyemalis.  One  of  the  common- 
est and  best-known  varieties  is  the  shrewish  httle 
House- Wren — Troglodytes  Aedon — whose  scolding 
at  all  hours  is  easily  explained,  and  very  excusable, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  house-cat  has  for  ever 
an  evil  eye  on  its  nest,  and  the  mousing,  sleek  ter- 
rier only  awaits  the  fledgling's  first  out-tumbhng 
and  crippled  efforts  at  flight  to  give  chase,  and  snap 
the  lamp  of  hfe  out  in  every  one  of  their  little  rag- 
ged breasts. 

"  One  of  the  handsomest  and  sauciest,  most  ad- 
mired, and  equally  with  the  robin,  a  much-endur- 
ing and  early  harbinger  and  sweet  prophet  of  the 
Spring,  is  the  wary  and  prohfic  Blue  Bird — Sialia 
Sialis.  This  warbler  is  not  seemingly  so  common 
as  either  the  wren  or  the  robin,  and  yet  it  is  a  poor 
rod  of  brown  moss,  greensward  and  briar-tangle  that 
hasn't  a  blue  bird.  In  the  shadow  it  is  easily  mis- 
taken for  an  ordinary  songster,  but  with  the  sun- 
shine squarely  covering  it,  its  origin  is  revealed. 

"  It  is  weU  known,  being  related  in  the  first  book, 
legendary  Veda  of  bird-land,  that  great  Juno  once, 
being  in  haste,  and  without  a  ribbon  or  girdle  at 
hand  to  confine  her  somewhat  cumbersome  drapery, 
tore  a  scarf  out  of  the  sky.  This  Yandahsm,  giv- 
ing outsiders  a  somewhat  unflattering  view  into 
Olympus — and,  moreover,  leaving  an  unseemly  frac- 
ture— made  old  Jupiter  angry,  and  he  thundered, 
after  the  Olympian  fashion;  whereupon  Juno  con- 
temptuously tore  up  her  scarf  and  threw  the  bits  at 
him.  Amused  at  the  saucy  pettishness  of  one  he 
greatly  admired,  the  god  smiled,  and  then  the  sun 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         187 

shone  out,  and  the  bits  of  sky  went  fluttering  and 
careening  down  to  earth,  and  all  turned  into  blue 
birds. 

^' There  are  various  species  of  what  have  been 
termed  by  naturalists  SiaHa ;  our  blue-bird,  there- 
fore, is  a  somewhat  variable  quantity,  the  type 
not  being  so  distinctly  outhned  as  is  that  of  the 
robin  and  others,  whose  marital  associations  are 
hmited  to  only  one  species.  The  female  is  not  near 
so  '  blue'  as  the  male ;  probably  aware  of  the  fact  that 
feminine  blues  are  attractive  only  of  the  spear,  not 
usually  admired,  and  only  exceptionally  in  demand. 
She  is  exemplarily  domestic,  would  sooner  swallow 
a  caterpillar  every  five  seconds  than  sing  a  note, 
and  never  presumes  to  lead  the  way,  or  take  an 
initiative,  except  when  on  the  trail  of  a  katydid  or 
a  beetle ;  then,  if  she  is  able,  she  gets  ahead,  and 
gulps  down  her  victim  on  the  public  arena,  trium- 
phant in  gluttony,  regardless  ahke  of  loves'  courte- 
sies and  of  decorum. 

^'Notwithstanding  the  disgraceful  and  distinctive 
fact  that  outside  of  an  incapable  and  monotonous 
twitter,  male  birds  do  all  the  singing,  if  ever  in  the 
dewy  morning,  awakened,  we  are,  by  the  shrillest 
of  concerted  pipings,  made  aware  that  the  exquisite 
song-bird  anthem  of  the  day  spring,  is  all  soprano. 
We  hear  in  the  young  morn's  breaking,  not  only 
•carols,  but  all  sorts  of  single  notes  and  shrill  twit- 
ters, and  if  the  female  bird  ever  sings  at  all,  it  is  at 
the  bidding  of  joy  in  the  intoxicating  dehght  of  this 
social  hour;  but  she  necessarily  twitters  to  the 
mascuhne  pitch,  being  unable  to  find,  inside  the 
finite  Hmits  of  appreciable  sound,  any  higher,  and 
therefore,  strictly  feminine  octaves. 


188  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

*^  There  are  some  low  bird-notes.  Chanticleer's: 
crow,  as  compared  with  the  song-bird's  warble,  is  a 
soft  contralto ;  so  is  the  crow's  cry;  and  to  the  early 
bird-matinee,  in  any  locahty,  by  a  carnivorous  hu- 
manity inhabited,  the  former  of  these  is  never 
wanting.  The  owl,  also,  pipes  a  soft  low  note,  not 
of  itself  unpleasing,  and  the  pheasant,  as  often 
heard  in  wooded  locahties,  is  a  good  drummer,  but 
these  performers  keep  strictly  to  solos,  and  for  any 
ordinary  feathered  concerts,  fail  to  come  to  time. 
It  is  only  at  night-fall,  when  the  last  shrill  whip- 
poor-will  is  singing,  and  the  first  owl  of  the  season 
pipes  a  solemn  'to-who'  of  attempted  trombone 
base,  that  we  get  any  appreciable  range  of  pitch, 
and  a  genuine  feathered  duetto.  The  owl  and  tha 
whip-poor-will,  however,  are  seldom  heard  together, 
the  hoot  of  the  former  in  the  autumn  woods  being 
the  wary  whip-poor-will's  signal  of  departure. 

^'The  whip-poor-will — Anstrostomus  Vociferus — 
is  seldom  a  matinee  singer,  but  does  sometimes 
mingle  his  notes  with  other  '  stars '  of  the  morning, 
in  his  Maker's  praise.  His  usual  habit  is  to  begin 
his  melancholy  cry,  a  httle  after  nightfall,  prefer- 
ring, Hke  the  nightingale,  to  pipe 

'  When  all  the  woods  are  still.' 

''He  is  quite  pretty  as  seen  by  starlight,  or  the 
rays  of  the  crescent  moon,  and  abroad  at  eventide,  is 
neither  chary  of  his  notes,  nor  at  all  shy.  With 
something  of  a  soulful  originality  in  his  composi- 
tion, he  has  apparently  a  penchant  for  investigation, 
and  can  be  attracted  by  odd  movements,  to  view 
which  he  will  alight  almost  at  the  feet  of  an  in- 
truder, his  shrill '  whip-poor-wiUie,'  starthngin  such 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  189 

•close  proximity,  a  manifest  interrogation.  As  lie  is 
an  eternal  penitent,  imploring  chastisement,  we  will 
ignore  his  errors.  He  is  the  loudest  of  our  night 
warblers,  often  confounded  with  the  predatory  night- 
hawk,  to  which  both  in  habit  and  appearance,  he  is 
similar;  he  is  a  httle  larger  than  the  robin,  his  plu- 
mage a  rufous  brown,  marked  on  the  wings  and  tail 
with  a  dusky  white.  The  female  is  a  httle  smaller 
than  the  male,  and  has  no  white  markings. 

"  The  lark  is  the  whip-poor-will's  and  nightin- 
gale's antipode,  and  as  representative  warbler  of  the 
morning,  is  often  quoted  by  the  poets,  and  well 
known  to  fame.  There  are  a  number  of  varieties  of 
this  notable  songster,  some  of  which  are  of  habits 
quite  common-place,  and  no  more  given  to  soaring 
and  song,  than  any  other  birds.  The  variety  com- 
monest in  Kansas  during  the  summer  months,  is 
the  Meadow  Lark — Sturnella  Magna.  This  species 
is  quite  unaspiring,  has  few  enemies,  and  is  prolific 
and  abundant.  Its  nest,  concealed  in  the  early 
summer's  timothy  and  clover,  is  seldom  disturbed, 
but  is  sometimes  come  upon  by  an  unwary  foot  on 
the  future  hay-mow  trespassing.  At  such  times, 
the  bird  flies  up  with  a  frightened  flutter,  leaving 
from  two  to  four  warm  eggs,  or  helpless  young  ones, 
without  covers,  on  a  very  rough  and  shiftless  hay 
mattress. 

"  Though  a  pleasant  little  summer  companion, 
our  meadow  lark,  in  its  plumage  of  dull  brown,  is 
not  particularly  interesting,  neither  is  the  Tit  Lark 
— Anthus  Ludovicianus — nor  the  Red-Breasted  Lark, 
Tripialis  Militaris — nor  the  Finch  Lark — Chondestes 
Grammaca — nor  some  others,  all  wearing  the  com- 


190 

mon  cognomen,  though  of  different  famiHes.  The 
only  lark  proper  —  the  lark  of  fame  —  the  especial 
lark,  whose  habits  have  won  for  the  name  its  repu- 
tation, is  a  Sky  Lark,  a  European  bird,  not  neces- 
sary to  be  described.  This  country  has  varieties, 
but  the  American  Sky  Larks  are  the  common — 
Eremophila  Cornuta — a  very  shy  bird,  seldom  seen 
in  inhabited  localities,  except  in  the  winter,  and  a 
httle  known  and  rare  species,  christened  by  its^ 
discoverer  as  the  Missouri  Sky  Lark  —  Neocorys 
Spraguei — a  bird  very  similar  to,  if  not  the  same  as 
the  European  Sky  Lark. 

**  The  Sparrow  family — Fringillidce — can  be  found 
in  every  section  of  North  America.  It  is  of  this 
bird  that  our  Saviour  in  his  sermons  has  spoken, 
and  in  some  sections,  and  during  our  inclement  sea- 
sons, it  certainly  needs  that  some  pitying  Deity 
should  be  conscious  of  its  woes  and  have  power  to 
solace  them.  One  of  our  winter  birds,  confounded 
often  with  the  Troglodytes  Hyemalis,  is  a  sparrow — 
Junco  Hyemalis.  This  is  the  Snow  Bird  proper,  not 
to  the  common  eye  distinguishable  from  the  Wren, 
though  the  species  are  quite  distinct. 

"  The  Snow  Bunting  of  the  Polar  Sea — Plectro- 
phanes  Navilis — is  a  sparrow  very  much  as  to  the 
modes  of  feeding  and  other  habits  akin  to  a  httle 
Chipping  Sparrow — Spizella  Socialis — of  our  mid- 
summer. A  most  interesting  species  of  this  family, 
is  the  Song  Sparrow — Melospiza  Melodia.  This  is 
only  a  summer  bird  with  us,  but  a  httle  further 
south,  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  other  of  the 
middle  range  of  States,  it  is  a  constant  resident. 
In    this    latitude,    it   appears   just  after  the  blue^ 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  191 

bird,  black  bird  and  meadow  lark.  As  a  vocalist, 
it  rivals  the  robin,  and  can  be  heard  from  early- 
dawn  to  nightfall,  singing  always  the  same  strain, 
never  by  disturbing  ambition  or  disgust  at  his  own 
monotony  goaded  into  the  faintest  attempt  at  un- 
orthodox variations  or  originations. 

"It is  one  of  the  most  indefatigable  of  the  insecti- 
vora,  and  never  sings  sweeter  than  after  a  full  meal 
of  wood-ticks,  caterpillars  and  field-spiders.  The 
Grass  Finch — Spizella  Pusilla — is  another  less  in- 
teresting variety,  quite  common  with  us.  The 
White  Crowned  —  Zonotrichia  Lencophrys  —  the 
Golden  Crowned — Zonotrichia  Gamhelii — and  the 
White  Throated — Zonotrichia  Alhicollis — are  all 
beautiful  varieties,  seen  often  in  this  latitude,  both 
in  spring  and  autumn,  but  only  in  flocks  as  passing 
migrants.  This  Httle  bird,  in  all  his  varieties^ 
equally  with  the  Eobin,  is  fond  of  small  fruits,  is 
easily  tamed,  especially  in  the  winter,  and  children 
both  in  city  and  country,  often  amuse  themselves 
and  do  a  sweet  deed  of  charity,  by  throwing  it 
crumbs. 

*'The  Prairie  Hen  is  a  species  of  Grouse,  a  very 
prudent  family,  who  pay  as  they  go,  and  never  run 
long  bills.  They  are  excellent  eating,  as  we  now 
have  an  opportunity  to  demonstrate. "  Dinner  being 
announced,  the  bird  question  and  the  birds  were 
laid  upon  the  table. 


192  LIFE  IN   THE   WILDS   OF  AMEBICA, 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

-A  New  Encampment — Off  for  Colorado — Impressions  of  Denver — Topo- 
graphy and  Kesources  of  the  State — History' — Wonderful  Scenery 
— The  Garden  of  the  Gods — Mountain  Peaks  and  Eanges— Mount  of 
the  Holy  Cross — Canyons,  Cascades  and  Parks— A  Perilous  posi- 
tion. 

We  now  struck  our  tents,  packed  our  effects  and 
resumed  our  journey  to  the  West.  Passing  old 
Fort  Atkinson,  on  the  Arkansas,  we  at  length 
reached  the  Cimarron  Biver,  where  we  encamped. 

With  all  the  game  we  desired,  with  delightful 
weather,  and  perfect  health,  we  fully  realized  how 
little  and  how  few  of  the  artificial  comforts  of  life 
are  essential  to  health,  to  contentment,  and  to  hap- 
piness, and  ceased  to  wonder  why  the  red  man  so 
pertinaceously  clings  to  his  natural  mode  of  life,  re- 
fusing to  exchange  the  free  gifts  of  Nature  for  the 
restraints  of  civilization.  We  kept  our  records, 
made  our  sketches,  collected  and  arranged  oiir  speci- 
mens, and  pursued  our  pleasures.  At  night  our 
camp-fire  burned  brightly  before  our  lodges.  The 
cries  of  the  night-birds,  and  the  bowlings  of  wild 
animals,  was  our  lullaby,  and,  though  at  first  we 
fancied  that  their  voices  did  not  chord  perfectly ,  and 
their  strangeness  rendered  us  vigilant — perhaps  a 
little  nervous,  especially  at  midnight  to  hear  the 
crackhng  of  the  dry  underbrush  in  close  proximity 
to  our  beds,  to  know  that  it  was  caused  by  some 
wild  animal  in  quest  of  food,  and  to  feel  that  the 
-creature  might,  perchance,  extend  his  explorations 
beneath  the  canvas  that  covered  us, — we  soon  be- 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  193 

came  accustomed  to  these  sounds,  and  would  have 
missed  the  somewhat  discordant  music,  regarding 
its  cessation  a  real  deprivation ;  but  in  this  respect 
■we  were  never  unfortunate. 

Some  days  we  met  wdth  Httle,  roving  bands  of 
EngHsh-speaking  Indians,  who  had  picked  up 
enough  words  of  the  language  for  practical  needs, 
in  the  white  settlements,  whither  they  went  to 
sell  their  peltries  or  exchange  them  for  guns  and 
other  articles,  and  to  drink  the  "  fire-water  "  of  the 
white  men,  with  all  the  complacency  and  appetite 
of  veterans  in  the  business.  Whenever  we  met 
them,  we  never  failed  to  experience  proofs  of  their 
good  will  and  hospitahty. 

But  the  days  were  ghding  by,  and  however  Arca- 
dian our  existence,  it  became  necessary  for  us  to 
move  on  and  move  quickly,  if  we  would  extend  our 
explorations  of  the  West,  which  Barstow,  Warring- 
ton and  I  proposed  to  do.  As  the  other  members 
of  the  party  preferred  to  still  longer  follow  the 
chase  on  the  plains  of  Kansas  and  the  border  of 
Colorado,  we  took  our  leave  of  them  with  the  un- 
derstanding that  we  would  meet  at  Leavenworth  at 
the  expiration  of  the  time  to  which  we  had  Hmited 
ourselves  on  leaving  Topeka. 

A  few  days  of  rapid  travel  northward,  and  we 
crossed  the  Arkansas,  and  arrived  at  a  station  on 
the  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Eailway,  which  passes 
through  the  central  part  of  Hamilton  Courtty,  and 
westward  to  Pueblo,  Colorado,  whither  w^e  pro- 
ceeded without  further  delay,  having  sent  our  ponies 
and  trappings  to  Leavenworth. 

Eailway  travel  offers  in  exchange  for  the  rural 


194  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

and  nomadic  enjoyments  experienced,  practical  and 
stern  realities  of  life. 

From  Pueblo  we  went  direct,  via  the  Eio  Grande 
Eailway,  to  Denver,  the  capital  of  the  State. 

Denver  is  a  fresh-looking,  rapidly- growing  city, 
well  spread  out  over  a  portion  of  a  very  large  and 
sandy  plain,  sloping  down  to  the  South  Platte 
River,  and  containing,  perhaps,  25,000  inhabitants. 
It  has  an  elevation  of  5,244  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
and  is  fourteen  miles  distant  from  the  '^foot  hills." 
The  business  portion  of  the  city  is  built  of  brick,  and 
many  of  the  business  edifices  present  an  imposing  ap- 
pearance. It  has  a  great  number  of  churches,  several 
street  railroads,  four  excellent  daily  journals  and  a 
United  States  mint.  The  value  of  goods  annually 
manufactured  here,  reaches  several  millions  of  dol- 
lars ;  the  flour  trade  alone  somewhat  exceeds  one  mil- 
Hon.  The  streets  are  wide,  andfor  the  greater  number, 
lined  with  a  young  growth  of  cottonwood  and  box- 
elder  trees.  The  residences  generally  have  lawns 
or  yards  in  front,  adorned  with  flowers  and  shrub- 
bery. All  these  grounds  depend  upon  irrigation, 
as  in  fact  does  aU  vegetation  of  this  region  of  coim- 
try.  All  departments  of  industry  appear  to  be 
fully  represented  here,  and  the  professions  seem  to 
be  over-crowded,  but  as  Webster  said,  ^' There  is 
always  room  enough  in  the  upper  stories."  Denver 
is  the  leading  railway  center  in  this  "  Far  West;" 
no  less  than  five  railroads  concentrate  here.  As  late 
as  1869  there  was  not  a  mile  of  railway  in  the 
Territory,  but  to-day  there  are  1,237  miles,  in  the 
aggregate,  of  the  various  lines — the  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe,  Denver  &  Rio  Grande,  Denver 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         195 

Pacific, — from  Denver  to  Cheyenne,  101  miles,  con- 
necting with  the  Union  Pacific ;  Denver  &  Boulder 
Valley;  Denver,  South  Park  &  Pacific;  Kansas 
Pacific,  Union  Pacific, — having  however,  only  nine 
miles  of  track  in  Colorado,  but  by  connections, 
forming  a  through  fine ;  Colorado  Central,  the  first 
organized  in  the  State,  a  branch  of  the  Union 
Pacific,  passing  through  the  gold  and  silver  regions. 
In  some  places  the  raihoads  have  a  grade  of  315 
feet  to  the  mile.  The  Denver  &  South  Park  rail- 
road passes  on  the  top  of  Kenosha  Pass,  10,139  feet 
high,  affording  a  dehghtful  view  of  the  South  Park, 
3,000  feet  below.  A  route  is  now  being  surveyed 
in  Southern  Colorado  that  will  cross  the  mountains 
over  12,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The 
citizens  of  Denver  are  eminently  enterprising,  and 
fuUy  impressed  with  the  idea,  in  which  the  tourist 
can  not  fail  to  concur,  of  a  very  promising  future 
for  the  city. 

Of  course  there  are  no  old  residents  here,  for  the 
city  dates  its  first  cabin  in  1857  or  1858.  There  are 
plenty  of  hotels  and  boarding  houses,  both  reasona- 
ble and  dear  as  to  rates.  Houses  and  vacant  rooms 
for  rent  are  everywhere  seen,  and  "lots"  of  land  are 
for  sale  in  unlimited  numbers.  It  would  be  wisdom 
in  "the  City  Fathers  "to  convert  some  of  the  va- 
cant ground  into  parks.  All  persons,  and  invahds 
especially,  need  a  pleasant  place  of  resort  out  of 
doors.  Many  who  come  hither  soon  get  discour- 
aged ;  not  f eehng  it  safe  to  venture  to  the  mount- 
ains, they  lounge  about  the  city,  like  prisoners,  and 
discuss  their  ills  with  each  other,  and  hence  make 
comparatively  slow  progress  towards  recovery.  They 


196  LIFE   IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

come  here,  generally,  ignorant  of  what  is  needful, 
and  how  to  attain  the  advantages  of  location  and 
chmate — often  ignorant  of  their  real  condition  and 
its  requirements.  For  lack  of  practical  instruction 
concerning  these  matters,  many,  perhaps  the  greater 
number,  who  go  abroad  in  quest  of  suitable  climatic 
influences,  agreeably  to  the  home  physician's  oft  re- 
peated injunction,  utterly  fail  to  attain  the  advant- 
ages and  benefits  sought. 

The  adjacent  country,  of  which  views  may  be 
obtained  from  the  city,  presents  a  scene  of  inde- 
scribable grandeur  and  beauty — pictures  of  loveh- 
ness,  into  which  enter  lofty  mountains,  majestic 
rivers  and  dehghtful  valleys.  Mt.  Torrey,  Gray's 
Peak,  Mt.  Kosa,  Mt.  Evans,  of  the  eastern  range, 
and  Pike's  Peak,  Long's  Peak  and  Mt.  Lincoln, 
rise  in  sublimity  and  grandeur  to  the  height  of 
14,000  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  Snow  range  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  stretches 
along  on  the  western  side.  The  mountains  appear 
in  comparatively  close  proximity,  but  in  reality  they 
are  from  forty  to  fifty  miles  distant.  They  rise  to  an 
altitude  of  from  ten  to  fourteen  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  Snow  is  plainly  visible  on 
their  summits  and  sides,  with  the  cloud  as  its  only 
companion. 

Denver  is  the  gateway  to  all  the  marvelous  scenes 
of  this  new  and  prosperous  State. 

Colorado  Territory  was  constituted  in  1861,  being 
formed  from  portions  of  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Utah 
and  New  Mexico;  it  was  admitted  to  the  family 
of  States  in  1876.     The  first  white  settlement  was 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  197 

made  in  Gilpin  County,  in  1858,  and  so  rapid  has 
been  its  growth,  so  great  its  enterprise  and  pros- 
perity, that  in  1877  it  had  nearly  200,000  inhabitants, 
nearly  two  million  acres  of  improved  lands,  and 
annual  productions  to  the  value  of  twenty-three 
millions  of  doUars.  In  1870  there  were  only  95,594 
acres  of  cultivated  land  in  the  Territory. 

The  region  of  Colorado  was  known  to  the  people 
of  Europe  prior  to  the  settlement  of  New  England 
or  Virginia,  having  been  first  visited  by  white  men 
in  1540,  by  an  expedition  from  Mexico.  For  more 
than  three  centuries,  Colorado  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  was  nominally  a  part  of  the  Spanish  and 
Mexican  possessions.  By  the  treaty  of  1848  the 
United  States  secured  title  to  this  region.  The 
country  north  of  the  Arkansas  River  and  east  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  formed  a  part  of  the  French 
possessions,  and  was  included  in  the  Louisiana  pur- 
chase made  in  1803.  Three  years  subsequent  to  this 
transfer.  Lieutenant  Z.  M.  Pike,  with  an  exploring 
party,  passed  through  the  mountains,  from  north  to 
south,  and  discovered  the  lofty,  snow-capped  peak 
which  bears  his  name.  In  1820  an  expedition  com- 
manded by  Colonel  H.  S.  Long  visited  this  Terri- 
tory ;  in  1842-4  the  region  was  explored  by  Colonel 
J.  C.  Fremont.  In  1852  gold-hunters  discovered 
the  precious  metal  in  Clear  Creek,  and  miners'  tents 
became  very  numerous  in  that  region.  In  1858  gold 
was  discovered  on  Dry  Creek,  a  few  miles  south  of 
Denver,  and  the  following  year  it  was  found  in  Gil- 
pin County.  Early  in  1859  the  county  of  Arrapa- 
hoe  was  organized;  and  from  this  period  onward 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Colorado  has  been 
remarkably  rapid. 


198 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Territory,  a  class  of  ruf- 
fians, who  always  infest  mining  regions,  came  hither, 
but  the  salutary  influence  of  a  vigilance  committee 
quickly  improved  their  morals,  and  law  and  order 
was  completely  and  permanently  estahhshed. 

The  boundaries  of  the  State  are  the  37th  and  41st 
parallels  of  north  latitude,  and  the  102d  and  109th 
west  longitude — forming  a  parallelogram.  On  the 
north  are  the  grazing  lands  of  Nebraska,  and  the 
silver  hills  of  Wyoming;  on  the  east,  the  broad 
prairies  of  Kansas  and  Northwest  Nebraska;  upon 
the  south  are  New  Mexico  and  the  Indian  Territory ; 
and  on  the  west  is  Utah. 

The  State  is  380  miles  long,  by  280  miles  in  width, 
having  an  area  of  106,500  square  miles, — 66,880,000 
acres — considerably  larger  than  the  whole  of  New 
England,  New  Jersey,  Delaware  and  Maryland  com- 
bined, which  may  be  fairly  regarded  as  rather  a  size- 
able State,  and  as  its  entire  population  is  less  than 
half  of  that  of  Chicago  or  St.  Louis,  it  would  seem 
that  there  is  still  room  for  a  few  more. 

The  Kocky  Mountains  extend  from  north  to  south 
through  the  centre  of  the  State ;  the  three  parallel 
ranges,  with  peaks  mantled  with  snow,  rising  almost 
three  miles  above  the  sea  level,  enclosing  the  great 
parks — the  most  valuable  agricultural  division.  The 
State  is  naturally  divided  into  the  mountain  regions, 
the  foot  hills  and  the  plains. 

The  western  ranges  of  mountains  are  covered  with 
great  forests  of  timber,  chiefly  pine,  larch,  spruce, 
and  fir.  In  the  western  part  of  the  State  is  also 
found  hemlock,  cedar,  cottonwood  and  other  varie- 
ties. 


< 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  199 

From  latitude  38  degrees  30  minutes  to  40  degrees 
30  minutes  the  chain  of  the  Rocky  mountains  is, 
perhaps,  120  miles  broad,  and  consists  of  three  par- 
allel ranges  running  northwest.  The  eastern  range 
known  as  the  Front  or  Colorado  Range,  rises  ab- 
ruptly from  the  plains  east  of  Denver.  West  of 
this  range,  and  separated  from  it  by  the  great  Parks, 
is  the  Park  range.  It  is  stated  by  several  authori- 
ties, that  these  mountains  contain  more  than  twenty 
peaks  that  are  over  13,000  feet  high.  The  Blue  Rio 
group  include  Mt.  Powell,  which  attains  an  eleva- 
tion of  13,300  feet.  The  third,  and  by  far  the  great- 
est of  this  magnificent  mountain  chain,  is  about 
twenty  miles  west  of  the  Park  range,  and  runs  par- 
allel with  it ;  the  Arkansas  VaUey,  lying  between. 
It  forms  the  great  continental  hne  of  division  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  portions  of  the 
State. 

The  general  height  of  these  stupendous  moun- 
tains is  over  13,000  feet.  Grand  Mountain,  La 
Platta,  Harvard,  Yale,  Mt.  Elbert,  and  the  Mount 
of  the  Holy  Cross,  attain  a  much  greater  elevation. 
The  Elk  Mountains  form  the  western  spur  of  this 
range,  and  contain  Mt.  Sporis,  the  Capitol,  the 
White  House,  Maroon  Mountain,  and  Castle  Peak, 
all  of  which  are  over  14,000  feet  high— 2,000  feet 
above  the  snow  hne,  and,  therefore,  at  all  seasons  of 
the  year  covered  with  snow. 

There  are  many  other  mountains,  including  the 
Raton,  Sierra,  San  Juan,  Sierra  La  Platta,  Uncom- 
pahgre.  Sierra  San  Miguel,  Sierra  Escalante  and 
others,  which  attain  a  very  great  altitude. 

The  average  elevation  of  the  foot  hiUs,  in  the 


THE  BOULDER  CANON. 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  201 

southwest,  is  about  8,000  feet ;  the  summit  of  the 
range  11,500  feet ;  the  timber  Hne  12,000  feet.  There 
are,  in  Colorado,  eighteen  peaks  that  rise  to  14,000 
feet  above  the  sea  level. 

The  eastern  plains  occupy  rather  more  than  a 
third  of  the  entire  area  of  the  State.  The  foot  hiUs 
at  the  base  of  the  mountains  are  interesting  to  the- 
tourist. 

The  South  Platte,  between  Montgomery  and  Den- 
ver, a  distance  of  125  miles,  has  a  fall  of  over  six 
thousand  feet,  while  some  of  the  canons  of  the 
Arkansas  rise  to  the  height  of  from  1,500  to  2,000 
feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river,  which  is  hemmed  in 
by  precipitous  rocks,  forming  a  scene  wild,  pictur- 
esque and  grand  beyond  description.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  fully  conceive  this  stupendous  height  without 
actual  observation.  The  lofty  spire  of  a  church 
rarely  exceeds  200  feet;  let  the  reader  fancy  one 
such  spire  above  another,  till  he  has  reached  a. 
height  of  ten,  and  he  will  begin  to  comprehend  the 
meaning  of  the  figures  so  easily  written,  which, 
without  the  aid  of  comparison,  would  be  inadequate 
to  convey  a  just  idea  of  this  vast  height.  Having, 
in  imagination,  carried  up  the  ten  spires,  let  him 
rest  for  a  moment  upon  the  summit  of  the  last,  and 
peer  down  into  the  swiftly  rushing  waters  below, 
and  his  idea  of  the  Arkansas  at  some  points,  wiU 
enable  him  to  comprehend  the  description.  Wild, 
awful,  subhme,  picturesque  in  their  fullest  and 
broadest  significance,  are  words  requisite  to  con- 
vey even  a  tolerable  idea  of  the  scene  to  a  person 
who  has  never  beheld  it.  For  a  just  conception  of 
the  terms  sublimity,  grandeur,   vastness   and  pic- 


202 

turesque  scenery,  the  reader  must  behold  the  giant 
mountains  of  Colorado  towering  aloft  till  they 
pierce  the  skies,  the  canons  nearly  half  a  mile  in 
•depth,  and  the  many  natural  features  of  this  region 
of  wonders. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  Colorado  scenery  is  the 
wonderful  system  of  natural  parks.  These  are 
vast,  irregular  plateaus,  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by 
gigantic  mountain  ranges.  The  principal  divisions 
which  make  up  this  great  system,  extend  over  a  belt 
of  country  from  forty  to  sixty  miles  in  width,  ex- 
tending from  the  northern  boundary  southward  to 
Fremont  County,  inclosing  an  area  of  at  least  seven- 
ty five  miUion  acres  of  the  best  and  most  fertile  lands. 
The  greater  part  of  the  country  is  watered  by  num- 
erous streams,  and  is  overgrown  to  a  considerable 
extent  by  forests  of  valuable  timber. 

The  North  Park  has  an  elevation  of  from  8,000  to 
9,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  embraces 
an  area  of  not  less  than  25,000  square  miles.  Num- 
erous tributaries  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Platte 
course  through  this  extensive  region.  On  the 
south  of  this  park,  and  separated  from  it  by  spurs  of 
the  great  mountain  range,  is  Middle  Park;  this  em- 
braces a  tract  sixty-five  miles  In  length  and  forty- 
five  miles  in  width,  nineteen  million  acres  of  the 
best  agricultural  land  in  the  State.  A  number  of 
small  streams  that  are  tributary  to  Grand  Kiver 
flow  through  this  park.  On  the  east  of  the  main 
range  is  South  Park,  bounded  on  all  sides  but  one 
by  lofty  mountains ;  on  the  east  of  it  are  the  foot 
hills.  Its  elevation  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  the 
North  Park.     It  extends  over  an  area  of  nearly  a 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST. 


203 


million  and  a  quarter  acres,  abounds  in  streams 
tributary  to  the  South  Platte,  and  contains  salt 
isprings  of  great  value. 


SAN  LUIS    PARK. 


The  great  Southern  Park — the  San  Luis — is  sepa- 
rated from  South  Park  by  the  main  range  of  moun- 
tains, and  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Sierra  San 
Juan.  It  is  equal  in  extent  to  all  the  other  parks 
together,  and  in  fertility  of  soil,  wealth  of  mineral 
deposits,  dehghtful  scenery  and  salubrity  of  chmate, 
is  not  unlike  them.  Through  this  park  flow  the  Eio 
Orande  del  Norte  and  its  numerous  tributaries.  The 
•elevation  of  San  Luis  Park  is  7,000  feet. 


204  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Monument  Park,  eight  miles  north  of  Color ada 
Springs;  is  notable  for  its  picturesque  scenery  and 
singular  beauty.  Here  may  be  seen  fantastic  groups, 
of  sand-stone,  in  shape  of  sugar  loaves,  occasionally 
surmounted  by  a  large  flat  stone,  seemingly  just 
ready  to  fall ;  and  there  are  massive  stone  columns, 
slender  spires  and  obelisks  of  all  varieties  that,  when 
viewed  from  a  distance,  resemble  the  columns  and 
monumental  shafts  of  a  vast  cemetery ;  and  the  illu- 
sion is  rendered  the  more  effective  by  the  color  of 
the  stone,  which  varies  from  a  grayish  hue  to  snowy 
whiteness.  To  the  fancy,  it  is  the  burial  place  of  a 
host  of  giants,  whose  memorials  defy  the  destructive 
power  of  time  and  the  vandalism  of  man. 

The  Parks  are  supposed  by  some  to  have  been 
deep  lakes  among  the  mountains,  but  the  mountain 
barriers  having  been  cleft  with  canolis,  they  are 
now  dry. 

In  the  South  Park,  Fremont  was  hemmed  in  with 
snow  and  obliged  to  subsist  upon  his  mules.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  great  parks  already  named,  there  are 
several  smaller  ones,  among  which  are  the  Egeira 
and  Estes,  in  the  middle  of  the  State. 

In  all  parts  of  the  country,  the  attractions  for  the 
sportsman  are  aU  that  can  be  desired.  He  will  find 
bears,  cougars,  wolves,  and  wild-cats  in  the  moun- 
tainous regions ;  and  on  the  plains,  buffaloes,  deer,, 
antelopes,  hares,  rabbits,  and  many  fur-bearing  ani- 
mals; wild  turkey,  mountain  grouse,  sage  hen,  prai- 
rie chicken,  goose,  duck,  and  swan  are  also  numer- 
ous. 

The  view  from  Pike's  Peak,  the  summit  of  which 
can  be  reached  on  horse-back,  is  perhaps  the  most- 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  205 

magnificent  that  can  be  attained  in  any  locality  in  the 
State — which,  all-in-all,  is  a  land  of  wonders.  The 
peak  itself  rises  from  the  edge  of  the  great  moun- 
tain range ;  to  the  west,  are  hundreds  of  mountains 
scarcely  inferior  in  their  altitude  to  this  giant  of  the 
region ;  to  the  east  and  south,  the  eye  revels  in  a 
panorama  such  as  nowhere  else  reveals  itself  to  hu- 
man vision.  Over  thousands  of  square  miles  extend 
plains  and  valleys  of  unsurpassable  loveliness,  of 
gorgeous  picturesqueness,  over  which  roam  count- 
less herds  of  cattle;  there,  terrific  yawning  canons, 
and  yonder,  gleaming  in  the  sunlight,  little  lakelets, 
flaming  like  the  sun;  there  flow  large  rivers  that 
have  gathered  their  waters  from  mountain  streams, 
that  ghtter  and  flash  as  they  fall  over  obstructing 
rocks  in  their  course ;  mountain  sides  and  summits 
gilded  by  the  sun's  ever  glorious  rays ;  there,  deep 
forests,  with  mantles  of  deep  green — everywhere 
scenes  of  marvelous  beauty  and  grandeur. 

The  *^  Garden  of  the  Gods"  is  a  delightful  valley 
of  perhaps  five  hundred  acres,  surrounded  by  high 
mountains  and  sandstone  chfls,  an  emerald  of  beauty 
with  gorgeous  setting.  The  traveler  approaches 
it  by  a  narrow  passage  between  two  rocky  ledges, 
known  as  the  "Beautiful  Gate."  The  most  pecul- 
iar and  interesting  features  of  this  wonderful  garden 
are  a  number  of  isolated  rocks  of  soft  red  and  white 
sandstone,  some  of  which  have  a  perpendicular 
height  of  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet.  Specu- 
lation may  define  what  geologists  evidentlyjcan  not — 
by  what  freak  of  Nature  these  massive  rocks  were 
placed  in  their  positions. 

Similar  wonderful  features    are  found  in   Glen 


206 

Eyrie,  one  of  which,  but  ten  feet  in  thickness,, 
towers  aloft  to  the  height  of  several  hundred  feet. 
In  the  Cheyenne  Canon,  five  miles  from  Colorado 
Springs  there  may  be  seen  many  singular  rock  for- 
mations and  numerous  cascades  and  rapids. 

Of  all  the  great  canons  in  Colorado,  there  is  nona 
which  is  in  all  respects  so  remarkable  as  the  Grand 
Canon  of  the  Arkansas.  This  most  magnificent 
gorge  through  the  mountains,  rivahng  in  pictur- 
esque beauty  and  grandeur  the  Great  Canon  of 
Eio  Colorado,  and  with  precipitous  walls  of  rock 
rising  perpendicularly  to  the  height  of  two  thousand 
feet  above  the  roaring,  rushing  river,  is  a  scene 
never  to  be  forgotten.  •  Its  entrance  is  just  above 
Canon  City,  and  it  extends  a  considerable  dis- 
tance through  the  mountain  ridge,  presenting  new 
beauties  from  every  point  of  view. 

Through  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Arkansas  a  rail- 
road has  been  constructed.  Of  this  grand  achieve- 
ment of  enterprise,  skill  and  perseverance,  a  tourist 
says :  ^'  Few  have  an  idea  of  the  immense  obstacles 
and  difiiculties  that  had  to  be  overcome  to  build  a 
road  through  this  terrible  chasm.  Those  who  have 
not  passed  through  the  canon  can  have  but  a  faint 
idea  of  the  weird  grandeur  and  awful  magnificence 
of  this  great  work  of  nature.  Clear  Creek  Canon, 
Veta  Pass  and  other  celebrated  spots  in  the  mount- 
ains sink  into  insignificance  when  compared  with 
this,  the  grandest  of  all  the  wonderful  freaks  of 
Nature's  handiwork. 

No  man  had  ever  passed  through  the  wonderful 
gorge  before  the  completion  of  the  road,  except  dar- 
ing the  winter  when  the  ice  had  arrested  the  flow  of 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         207 

the  turbulent  Arkansas,  which,  however,  was  a  rare 
occurrence,  the  current  being  so  swift  that  ice  could 
not  form  except  in  extremely  cold  weather.  Tour- 
ists were  accustomed  to  look  down  into  the  terrible 
gorge  from  the  top,  but  it  was  not  possible  to  get  a 
clear  idea  in  this  way  of  the  awful  grandeur  of  the 
chasm  and  its  extent  and  dimensions. 

Persons  on  the  first  train  that  went  through  were 
spell-bound  and  unable  to  express  their  emotions  of 
awe  and  wonder.  The  Koyal  Gorge,  as  the  center 
of  the  canon  is  called,  is  the  grandest  and  most, 
wonderful  spot  in  the  world.  An  immense  moun- 
tain torn  open  by  some  mysterious  power,  making  a 
cleft  that  is  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  wide  in 
the  narrowest  part,  while  the  immense  rock  wall  rises 
higher  and  higher,  until  an  elevation  of  two  thous- 
and-two hundred  feet^  is  reached  on  both  sides.  Sun- 
shine does  not  last  long,  even  on  the  clearest  days,, 
in  the  bottom  of  this  fearful  gulf,  and  the  beholder 
is  impressed,  as  he  gazes  upon  the  scene,  with  the 
terrific  strength  of  that  awful  power  which  at  some 
remote  period  of  the  world's  history  sundered  these 
masses  of  granite  and  porphyry  rocks  in  twain. 

Through  the  bottom  of  the  canon,  the  Arkansas- 
Kiver  roars  and  dashes  over  the  huge  rocks  which, 
in  many  places,  interfere  with  the  free  flow  of  its 
foaming  waters,  creating  numberless  water-falls  and 
rapids.  The  entire  length  of  the  Grand  Canon  is 
but  eight  miles,  and  the  Koyal  Gorge  comprises  four 
miles  in  the  centre,  where  the  canon  is  narrowest 
and  the  water  the  highest.  The  railroad  enters  the 
canon  at  Canon  City,  a  small  town  of  about  200 
inhabitants,  which  has  been  the  terminus  of  the  rail- 


208  LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

road,  and  from  here  to  Leadville  stage  lines  were  run- 
ning. The  road  cut  through  the  canon  is  a  nar- 
row guage  three-and-a-quarter  feet,  and  the  small, 
narrow  and  light  cars  are  well  adapted  for  a  road  hke 
this,  that  has  an  up-grade  of  fifty  feefc  to  the  mile, 
and  has .  continually  to  round  curves  on  a  narrow 
road-bed.  The  road  is  solid  and  firm,  most  of  the 
grade  being  cut  in  the  solid  rock.  The  hne  is  raised 
in  most  places,  ten  to  fifteen  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  follows  the  sinuosity  of  the  stream, 
rendering  it  very  crooked.  The  rock  through  which 
the  grade  is  constructed,  is  granite  and  porphyry  of 
the  hardest  kind,  and  at  some  points  this  rock  had 
to  be  blasted  to  a  depth  of  eighty  feet.  In  the  re- 
moval of  large  masses  of  rock,  portions  as  large  as  a 
large  frame  house  came  down  and  fell  into  the  river." 

Dr.  A.  C.  Peale  thus  sketches  several  notable 
features  of  mountain  and  park  scenery : 

"  We  reached  the  summit  of  the  low  range  bor- 
dering South  Park  on  the  east.  From  the  pass 
through  which  the  road  crosses,  we  have  a  grand 
panoramic  view.  The  entire  park,  about  fifty  miles 
long  and  twenty-five  wide,  lies  spread  out  before  uis 
looking  Hke  a  vast  grass-covered  plain  beyond  which 
rise  the  peaks  of  the  Park  Range,  in  which  Buffalo 
peaks  stand  Out  most  prominently. 

"  When  we  descend  into  the  park  we  find  that  it 
is  not  a  uniformly  level  plain,  as  we  might  imagine 
in  looking  down  upon  it.  What  appeared  from  the 
hills  to  be  shght  irregularities  of  its  surface  now  re- 
solve themselves  into  hills  and  ridges  from  400  to  600 
feet  high.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  park,  there  are 
numerous  salt  springs  and  marshes  and  low  bottoms 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  209 

covered  with  a  white  alkahne  efflorescence.  All  the 
water  in  this  part  is  impregnated  with  this  alkah, 
-as  it  is  called,  and  is  intensely  disagreeable  in  taste. 
The  general  elevation  of  the  park  above  sea  level 
is  about  9,000  feet. 

"  The  mining  center  at  present  is  the  region  along 
Mount  Lincoln.  Here  on  the  very  summit  of  the 
mountain,  14,121  feet  above  sea  level,  we  find  miners 
busily  at  work  digging  out  the  precious  ores,  which 
are  loaded  on  the  backs  of  donkeys  in  bags,  one  on 
each  side,  and  carried  to  smelting  works  at  the  base 
•of  the  mountain,  4,000  feet  below. 

"  Work  cannot  be  commenced  until  late  in  the 
spring,  and  even  then  the  miners  have  to  dig  in  the 
frozen  ground,  which  in  some  places  never  thaws 
during  the  entire  season. 

^^  From  Fair  Play,  which  is  the  depot  of  sup- 
ply for  the  mining  districts  of  South  Park,  we 
proceeded  across  the  Park  Range  to  the  valley  of 
the  Arkansas.  On  the  w^est  side  of  this  river  is  the 
Sawatch  Range,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the 
Snowy  Range.  It  extends  north  and  south,  ter- 
minating at  the  north  in  the  mountain  of  the  Holy 
Cross.  This  is  one  of  the  finest  ranges  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  as  far  as  is  known,  includes  a  greater 
number  of  high  peaks  than  any  other.  In  the  grand 
panorama  spread  out  before  us  from  the  summit  of 
the  Park  Range,  we  have  Massive  Mountain,  Mount 
Elbert,  La  Plata  Mountain,  Mount  Harvard,  and 
Mount  Princeton,  aU  over  14,000  feet  in  elevation, 
with  many  besides  reaching  to  between  13,000  and 
14,000  feet.  The  entire  range  was>once  the  seat  of 
intense  glacial  action,  and  the  combined  action  of 

14 


210  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

ice  and  water  has  carved  out  deep  canons  and 
gorges  in  which  the  rocks  are  rounded  and  polished. 
Following  the  valleys  of  the  creeks  from  the  mount- 
tains  down  in  graceful  curves  are  long  morainal 
benches.  These  benches  are  made  up  of  boulders 
that  were  carried  down  by  the  glaciers. 

On  Lake  Creek,  near  the  base  of  Mount  Elbert 
are  the  beautiful  Twin  Lakes.  The  lower  is  the 
larger,  being  a  little  over  two  miles  in  length  and 
a  mile  wide.  They  are  separated  by  a  narrow  strip 
of  land,  and  between  is  a  wide,  shallow  stream. 
Both  are  filled  with  trout  and  afford  ample  oppor- 
tunity for  pleasure  to  the  angler. 

Leaving  the  lower  lake,  we  passed  through  the 
deserted  town  of  Dayton,  which  has  shared  the 
fate  of  so  many  Western  mining  towns,  and  pro- 
ceeding up  Lake  Creek,  bade  adieu  to  civihzation. 
From  this  point  we  leave  wagon  roads  and  have 
only  occasional  trails.  We  struck  out  into  a  coun- 
try unknown,  save  by  the  Indians  and  trappers  and 
prospectors.  Lake  Creek,  a  short  distance  above 
the  lakes,  is  in  a  canon,  and  it  rushes  over  its 
rocky  bed  in  a  series  of  rapids  and  cascades.  At 
one  place  there  is  a  beautiful  fall,  and  just  below  it 
the  stream  passes  between  two  high  rocky  walls, 
which  at  the  top  approach  each  other,  and  in  the 
chasm  left  between,  a  huge  boulder  has  fallen  form- 
ing a  natural  bridge. 

'^  From  the  head  of  Lake  Creek,  we  cross  to  Pacific 
waters,  and  following  up  Taylor  Kiver  and  Dead 
Man's  Gulch,  the  scene  of  an  Indian  massacre,  we 
find  ourselves  in  the  Elk  Mountains.  The  Elk 
Mountain  range  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  peculiar 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  211 

and  at  least  geologically  interesting  ranges  in  the 
Bocky  Mountains.  In  it  there  are  several  eruptive 
centres — places  where  the  granite  has  been  thrust  up 
and  has  broken  through  the  overlying  sandstones 
and  other  sedimentary  beds.  The  stratification  of 
the  latter  has  given  a  step-like  appearance  and  pyra- 
midal form  to  many  of  the  peaks.  The  granite 
peaks  aU  have  sharp,  rugged  summits,  and  vast 
amphitheatre-hke  faces,  which  in  the  past  were 
fiUed  with  glaciers,  as  the  Alps  are  to-day.  Now, 
however,  we  have  only  snow-fields  and  httle  emerald- 
tinted  lakes,  frozen  over  the  greater  part  of  the 
year.  The  view  of  the  Elk  Mountains  that  we  had 
from  the  summit  of  the  Italia  Peak  was  perhaps  the 
finest  we  saw  during  the  season,  not  only  from  its 
extent,  but  also  on  account  of  its  variety.  Itaha 
Peak  was  ',80  named  from  the  display  on  one  of  its 
faces  of  brihiant  red,  white  and  green  colors,  the 
national  colors  of  Italy.  In  the  center  of  the  grand 
panorama  there  spread  out  before  us,  we  have  the 
high,  sharp  and  jagged  peaks  of  a  very  hght  color, 
their  amphitheatres  filled  with  snow-banks.  On 
the  outside  of  this  area,  and  rising  in  peaks  equally 
high,  we  have  the  sedimentary  beds.  Here  the 
form  of  the  mountains  is  different.  Instead  of 
sharp  peaks  we  find  pyramidal  forms.  The  color 
also  in  these  varies.  At  the  base  we  find  ochre  and 
orange-colored  beds,  and  above  them  dark  maroon 
sandstones  gradually  becoming  brick  red,  and  on 
the  top  of  aU,  in  patches,  Hght  yellowish  beds  of 
more  recent  origin.  Thus  we  have  variety,  not  only 
in  form,  but  in  color  also. 
"  TeocaUi  Mountain  is  situated  in  the  midst  of 


212 

the  Elk  Mountain  range,  and  is  on  the  southern 
edge  of  one  of  the  granitic  areas  at  the  edge  of 
Teocalh  Creek.  It  was  named  from  its  resemblance 
to  the  Asiatic  Teocallis  or  Sacrificial  Pyramids,  on 
the  summit  of  which  human  sacrifices  were  offered. 
It  rises  13,098  feet  above  sea  leveL  The  lower  por- 
tion is  composed  of  granite,  and  is  beautifully 
grassed  over.  It  is  in  the  upper  third  that  the  pyra- 
midal form  is  most  apparent.  Here  it  is  composed 
of  stratified  rocks,  mostly  dark  maroon-colored  sand- 
stones, which  at  a  distance  have  the  appearance  of 
a  succession  of  steps,  each  one  receding  from  the 
•one  below.  When  we  ascend  the  mountains  these 
isteps,  which  from  the  valley  seem  easy  of  access, 
:are  found  to  be  high  blufis  cut  by  deep  ravines  and 
gullies,  through  which  we  have  to  crawl  carefully, 
liolding  tightly  to  the  projecting  masses  of  rocks. 
Many  of  the  chffs  are  weathered  into  towers  and 
oastle-like  forms." 

In  traversing  another  part  of  the  country,  we 
oame,  one  day,  to  a  canon,  in  the  bed  of  which  ran 
a  very  rapid  stream,  too  unimportant  to  be  designa- 
ted as  a  river,  whose  rocky  banks  were  almost  as 
regular  as  art  could  have  made  them.  From  the 
brink,  the  roaring,  seething,  bubbhng,  rushing  water 
was  hundreds  of  feet  below.  The  deep  gorge  was 
directly  before  us.  Mr.  Warrington  espied  upon 
the  opposite  side  some  new  floral  specimen  which  he 
•desired  to  possess,  and,  though  it  seemed  impossi- 
hle  to  cross  the  gorge,  as  narrow  as  it  was,  it  was 
determined  that  the  attempt  should  be  made.  Pro- 
ceeding for  a  httle  distance,  following  the  hne  of  the 
chasm,  we  found  a  place  where  a  tall  tree  had  f aUen 
oand  extended  across  it. 


AND   WONDEKS    OF   THE   WEST.  213- 

The  passage-way  was  now  easy  enough,  seem- 
ingly, and  if  for  a  moment  we  experienced  the  least 
apprehension  or  doubt  of  the  safety  of  the  bridge, 
our  confidence  was  restored  on  discovering  evi- 
dences that  other  human  beings  or  large  animals 
had  crossed  before  us ;  and  without  delay  Barstow 
led  the  way  and  accomphshed  the  undertaking  as- 
easily  as  he  would  have  walked  along  a  forest  path. 
Warrington  started  to  follow  him.  The  entire  dis- 
tance was  not  more  than  fifty  feet,  but  the  hmbs  of 
the  tree  had  become  dry  and  broken,  and  there  was. 
nothing  but  steadiness  of  nerve  and  strength  of 
muscle  to  sustain  him,  and  that  should  have  been 
enough,  but  it  was  not.  Had  he  looked  straight 
ahead  all  would  have  been  well,  but  he  looked  di- 
rectly down — down  into  the  roaring  abyss. 

Pettibone  had  seen  the  danger  from  the  first,  and 
had  advised  him  to  allow  Mr.  Barstow  to  collect  the 
desired  specimens,  since  he  was  already  on  the 
ground,  but  Mr.  Warrington  was  self-confident,  and 
chose  to  pass  over  himself.  Seeing  the  imminent 
danger  to  which  the  man  was  exposed,  Pettibone 
now  called  to  him  to  'look  up,'  but  again  his  advice 
was  unheeded.  The  apparent  hesitation  with  which 
he  advanced  though  he  did  not  speak,  rendered  it 
certain  that  he  had  lost  confidence  in  his  abihty  to 
proceed.  Here  on  this  mast,  large  enough  and 
strong  enough  to  sustain  the  weight  of  a  dozen  men 
at  least,  Warrington's  alarm  became  so  great  that 
he  could  not  advance  another  step.  He  called  to 
Barstow,  who  was  already  at  some  distance  in  ad- 
vance. Barstow  discovered  his  friend's  plight,  com- 
prehended the  great  peril,  and  tried  to  re-assure 


214 

him,  but  in  vain.  Had  he  brought  his  gun  to  his 
shoulder,  given  a  command  backed  by  a  threat  of 
firing,  it  might,  perhaps,  have  cured  his  nervous- 
ness in  an  instant,  upon  the  principle  of  similia 
similihus  curantur^  but  he  tried  to  convince  the  man 
of  the  absurdity  of  his  alarm,  and  started  to  go 
toward  him,  too  late,  however,  to  be  of  service,  for 
at  that  instant  poor  Warrington  fell — not,  however, 
into  the  abyss,  but  in  faUing  he  clutched  a  hmb  of 
the  tree,  and  for  a  moment  was  dangling  in  the  air, 
sustaining  his  great  weight  by  one  hand.  Quick  as 
thought,  Barstow  and  Pettibone  flew  to  his  rescue, 
but  their  aid  was  not  required ;  the  fall  had  broken 
the  terrible  spell  that  had  caused  the  catastrophe, 
so  well-nigh  fatal,  and  before  either  of  the  gentle- 
men could  reach  him,  he  had  regained  his  footing 
and  walked  safely  over ;  having  gathered  the  speci- 
mens for  which  he  had  periled  his  Hfe,  he  walked  de- 
hberately  back  across  the  bridge  as  calmly  as  he 
would  have  crossed  a  parlor  floor.  Naturally  a  brave 
man,  and  ordinarily  unmindful  of  perils  from  which 
others  might  shrink,  his  sudden  and  terrible  alarm 
upon  that  occasion,  is  even  to  him  inexplicable. 


216  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEEICA, 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

The  Rivers  of  Colorado — The  Great  Mining  Eegions— Leadville — Cities 
and  Towns  of  Special  Interest — Resources  and  Productions  of  the 
State — The  Great  Colorado — Houses  of  a  Buried  Race — Indians. 

The  river  systems  of  Colorado  include  the  Upper 
Arkansas,  Platte,  Eio  Colorado,  Eio  Grande,  the 
Smoky  Hill  and  Eepubhcan  Forks  of  Kansas  Eiver. 
The  South  Platte  rises  in  the  north-west  corner  of 
South  Park  at  the  base  of  Mount  Lincoln,  and  with 
its  tributaries  drains  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  moun- 
tains north  of  the  Divide.  It  flows  southeast 
through  the  park  and  receives  many  tributary 
streams.  After  passing  through  the  "foot  hills,"  it 
runs  northerly  to  its  confluence  with  the  Cache  a  la. 
Poudre,  and  thence  easterly  to  the  frontiers  of  Ne- 
braska. The  Arkansas  rises  in  the  eastern  slopes  of 
the  Great  Divide  and  passes  through  the  mountain 
range  at  Canon  City,  thence  across  the  plains,  with 
a  course  of  nearly  five  hundred  miles  in  Colorado. 
These  rivers  are  not  navigable. 

The  Smoky  Hill  and  Eepublican  forks  of  the  Kan- 
sas have  their  sources  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
plains  and  pursue  an  easterly  course  to  the  borders, 
of  Kansas.  The  region  of  country  west  of  the  main 
range  and  north  of  the  Uncompahgre  Mountains  is 
drained  by  the  tributaries  of  the  Eio  Colorado  and 
those  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Platte,  which  flow 
through  the  fertile  regions  of  the  North  Park.  The 
chief  northern  tributaries  of  the  Colorado  are  the 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  217 

Bear,  White,  Green  and  Grand  Elvers.  The  Kio 
Grande  rises  in  Southwestern  Colorado,  pursues  an 
easterly  course  for  150  miles,  and  thence  flows  ta 
the  south  through  the  San  Luis  valley. 

The  mountains  are  chiefly  composed  of  granite 
rocks  which  contain  gold  and  silver.  West  of  the 
main  range,  the  country  is  of  volcanic  origin,  tha 
lava  rocks  not  yielding  metals.  To  the  rich  mines 
of  Colorado  very  much  of  the  prosperity  of  the 
State  is  due,  but  great  as  are  the  mining  interests,  it 
must  not  be  supposed  that  the  precious  metals  are 
always  found  in  abundance  even  in  places  where  the 
indications  are  such  as  to  seemingly  warrant  a  large 
expenditure  of  capital  and  labor.  The  open  mouths 
of  abandoned  mines,  everywhere  to  be  seen  in  the 
mountains,  though  voiceless,  give  w^arning,  other- 
wise the  great  mines  would  excite  a  furor  equal  ta 
that  of  the  early  days  of  California. 

On  the  way  from  Denver  to  Central  City,  we  pass 
through  the  marvelous  Clear  Creek  Canon.  The 
bed  of  Clear  Creek  has  evidently  been  very  thor- 
oughly washed  out  in  the  search  for  gold.  Millions 
of  dollars  have  been  taken  therefrom  by  gulch 
mining,  as  Chinamen  are  now  at  work  washing" 
the  soil  again,  using  the  abandoned  sluices,  and 
content  with  earning  $1.50  a  day  by  their  labor. 
These  gulch-miners  Kve  in  cabins  by  the  side  of  the 
creek.  An  account  of  the  mining  industry  of  the 
State  may  interest  the  general  reader. 

Gold  is  found  in  lodes  and  fissure-veins,  and  in 
gulches  or  placers  at  all  points  within  the  belt  of 
about  fifty  miles  in  width,  which  extends  north 
and  south  through  the  center  of  the  State.    It  is. 


'218  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

obtained  by  amalgamation  on  copper  plates  and  by 
means  of  the  electric  battery.  The  silver  ores  are 
divided  into  two  classes — surface  and  galena  depos- 
its. The  cost  of  recording  a  claim  to  an  area  of 
land  1,500  by  300  feet,  for  a  mine,  is  $150.  Upon 
this  land  ?p500  worth  of  labor  is  supposed  to  have  been 
done  before  the  claim  can  be  recorded.  More  than 
one  hundred  thousand  such  claims  have  been  re- 
corded in  Colorado,  thus  showing  the  enormous  ex- 
penditure of  sixty-five  milhon  dollars  before  a  single 
dollar  has  been  taken,  and  before  it  is  certain  that  a 
single  doUar  ever  will  be  taken  from  the  earth.  In 
a  single  day's  ride  over  the  country,  hundreds  of 
^abandoned  claims  may  be  seen. 

The  silver  ores  of  LeadviUe  and  Lake  County  are 
mostly  found  in  the  form  of  carbonates,  containing 
a  very  large  proportion  of  lead.  The  mineral  strata 
are  reached  at  depths  of  from  ten  to  one  hundred 
feet,  but  silver  ore  may  be  found  at  any  depth.  The 
carbonates  alone  are  rich,  and  extend  over  an  area 
of  two  hundred  square  miles.  The  richest  region 
so  far  known  is  Leadville  and  vicinity.  As  a  rule, 
paying  earth  will  be  found  within  the  first  hundred 
feet.  Here  an  industrious  miner,  with  or  without 
experience,  will,  in  almost  all  cases,  have  success. 
There  are  no  silver  mines  known  which  are  so  easily 
worked,  and  which  require  less  expensive  machinery, 
nor  are  there  any  whose  product  is  so  easily  reduced 
.as  that  of  the  Leadville  mines.  The  ore  is  raised  in 
buckets  by  horse-power.  The  entire  outfit,  includ- 
ing the  horse,  does  not  exceed  five  hundred  doUars. 

In  the  winter  of  1859,  ten  years  after  the  great 
:gold  excitement  of  Cahfornia,  gold  was  discovered 


AND   WONDERS   OF   THE   WEST.  219 

in  California  Gulch,  Colorado.  It  was  found  in 
placer-diggings,  but  those  were  soon  exhausted, 
and  the  mining  town  of  Oro — three  miles  from 
Leadville — was  deserted,  although  it  had  at  one 
time  not  less  than  ten  thousand  inhabitants.  Until 
1875,  the  attention  of  miners  had  been  directed  exclu- 
sively to  gold — silver  had  not  been  discovered — but 
in  1877,  high-grade  ore  in  inexhaustible  quantities 
was  found  in  the  iron  mine.  The  early  famous  mines 
were  Camp  Bird,  New  Discovery,  Little  Chief,  Ea- 
ton, Vulture  and  Little  Pittsburgh. 

In  the  Leadville  district,  the  mines  are  nearly  all 
owned  by  capitalists  of  Eastern  cities,  especially  of 
Chicago.  In  1878  over  10,838  tons  of  ore  were 
smelted,  producing  over  three  million  ounces  of  sil- 
ver, worth  $3,230,000.  The  value  of  lead  produced 
was  over  $700,000,  and  this,  with  the  gold  of  the 
placers,  gave  an  aggregate  of  the  mineral  product 
of  Lake  County,  for  that  year,  of  over  four  million 
•dollars. 

Sixteen  miles  north  of  Leadville  is  a  promising 
district,  known  as  Ten  Mile  Creek,  in  which  sulphu- 
ret  ores  have  been  found ;  but  hard  and  soft  carbon- 
ates have  been  discovered  in  adj  acent  districts .  Ten 
Mile  Creek  is  a  thousand  feet  higher  than  Lead- 
ville ;  it  Hes  in  the  basin  formed  by  spurs  of  the 
E-ocky  Mountains,  and  includes  several  noted  gulches 
where  placer  gold  has  been  mined  in  considerable 
quantities. 

Passing  along  Clear  Creek,  we  arrive  at  length  at 
Black  Hawk  and  Central  City.  A  walk  down  the 
valley  in  which  these  placers  are  located,  is  interest- 
ing, and  especially  if  we  visit  "  Brigg's  "  mine  and 


220 

descend  into  it  to  the  depth  of  a  thousand  feet,  where 
the  miners  are  at  work.  The  mine  is  exceedingly 
rich.  Georgetown  —  known  as  "  Silver  City," — a. 
place  of  several  thousand  inhabitants,  is  situated  be- 
tween the  towering  snow-clad  peaks.  SilverDale  and 
Silver  Plume,  two  httle  mining  towns,  are  adjacent. 
From  Georgetown  many  points  of  interest  may  be 
reached  by  carriage ;  among  these  is  the  Argentine 
Pass  of  the  Great  Divide.  Standing  upon  it,  we 
may  see  streams  from  the  same  rain-shower  flowing 
down  one  side  of  the  mountain  toward  the  Atlantic,, 
and  down  the  other  toward  the  Pacific.  Empire 
Pass  is  but  four  miles  from  Georgetown;  but  the 
most  interesting  trip  of  all  is  that  to  Gray's  Peak — 
the  highest  mountain  in  Colorado,  its  elevation  be- 
ing 14,434  feet.  A  carriage  road  leads  to  within 
three  miles  of  the  summit,  and  a  good  trail  leads 
directly  to  the  top.  The  sure-footed  mountain-horse 
and  the  patient  donkey  will  carry  travelers  safely 
up.  Snow  lays  in  patches  all  along  the  way,  even 
in  midsummer.  From  the  summit,  range  upon 
range  is  spread  out  before  us;  and  Pike's  Peak, 
ninety  miles  distant,  is  clearly  discernible. 

Georgetown  is  the  county  seat  of  Clear  Creek 
County,  and  the  centre  of  the  great  silver-producing 
region.  It  is  fifty-four  miles  distant  from  Denver, 
and  one  hundred  eight-four  from  Cheyenne,  and  has- 
an  elevation  of  8,450  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
It  is  a  busy  and  beautiful  city  of  between  four  and 
five  thousand  inhabitants.  The  gold  and  silver 
mines  of  Clear  Creek  County  have  yielded  fourteen 
miUion  dollars.  The  princely  sum  of  three  miUions 
has  been  taken  from  the  "Dives  Pehcan."    The^ 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  221 

"Terrible,"  "Colorado  Central,"  "East  Koe,"  and 
"  Equator,"  have  been  very  productive. 

The  Cheyenne  Canon  is  especially  interesting. 
At  Seven  Falls  the  tourist  may  see  a  striking  vista 
of  the  plains,  bounded  by  the  abrupt  walls  of  the 
gorge.  It  is  a  scene  of  marvelous  beauty  and 
grandeur. 

It  is  not  easy  to  attain  an  adequate  conception  of 
the  grandeur  and  majesty  of  the  great  red  walls  of 
the  Grand  Canon,  seamed  and  furrowed  from  top 
to  bottom.  In  places  trees  grow  on  the  top  and 
down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  chasm. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  dwellings  in  the  State, 
from  the  elegant  residence  of  brick  or  stone,  to  the 
adobe-plastered,  earth-roofed  log  cabin,  the  huts  of 
hemlock  or  cottonwood  boughs,  the  canvas  or  skin 
tent,  or  the  caves  of  miners  and  stockmen. 

In  Bear  Creek  and  in  many  other  creeks,  there 
are  abundance  of  fine  trout;  indeed  the  small 
streams  aU  over  the  State  offer  ample  attractions  to 
the  sportsman  and  angler. 

The  counties  of  Jefierson,  Clear  Creek,  Gilpin  and 
Boulder  are  perhaps  the  best  mining  regions  of  the 
State — certainly  the  best  known.  Within  a  radius 
of  forty  miles  from  Denver  are  many  important 
towns.  Gilpin  county,  although  one  of  the  smallest 
counties,  has  furnished  half  the  mineral  product  of 
the  State.  The  mineral  belt  is  about  ten  miles  in 
ividth  and  extends  into  the  neighboring  counties. 
In  the  last  nineteen  years,  the  aggregate  production 
of  gold  and  silver  of  this  region  has  been  more  than 
thirty- eight  and  a  half  millions.  Among  the  notable 
mines  are  the  "Gregory,"  "Bob-taH,"  "GrinneU," 


222  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

"Burrouglis,"  and  "Kansas."  The  average  deptk 
of  these  mines  is  eight  hundred  feet.  In  1877  these 
mines  employed  1,500  men  and  yielded  during  the 
year  $2,300,000,  or  $1,500  for  every  man  so  em- 
ployed. Of  the  many  growing  and  busy  towns  of 
Colorado,  the  mention  of  several  of  the  most  impor- 
tant must  suffice. 

Idaho  Springs  in  Clear  Creek  County,  sixteen 
miles  east  of  Georgetown,  is  an  interesting  place, 
not  more  from  its  hot  and  cold  mineral  springs,  than 
for  its  position  in  the  mining  regions. 

Greeley  is  a  pretty  little  city  on  the  Cache  a  la 
Poudre  river,  named  for  one  of  its  founders  and 
patrons,  Hon.  Horace  Greeley.  It  was  first  settled 
in  the  spring  of  1870,  by  a  colony  from  New  York, 
who  purchased  12,000  acres  of  land  and  laid  out  a. 
town.  Canon  City  occupies  the  gateway  of  the 
Southern  mountains,  and  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  Arkansas  river.  It  has  communication  with 
Leadville  by  stage  lines.  Golden  City,  sixteen 
miles  from  Denver,  was  settled  in  1859 — the  days  of 
placer-mining.  It  has  a  population  of  about  four 
thousand,  and  is  notable  for  its  manufacturers. 
Central  City,  the  capital  of  Gilpin  County,  is  a  min- 
ing place  of  considerable  note.  It  is  four  miles  from 
Black  Hawk  and  has  an  elevation  of  8,200  feet. 
Del  Norte,  Lake  City,  Kit  Carson  and  Eosita,  are 
busy  places. 

LeadviUe,  145  miles  southwest  from  Denver  and 
160  northwest  from  Pueblo,  is  a  city  of  very  great 
importance  for  its  rich  silver  mines.  It  occupies  a 
picturesque  position  in  a  basin  of  the  moun- 
tains, formed  by  the  Continental  Divide,  and  the 


AND   WONDEKS    OF   THE   WEST.  223^ 

Mosquito  range,  at  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  Eiver. 
It  has  the  greatest  elevation  of  any  city  in  the  United 
States,  being  ten  thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  We 
made  the  trip  by  stage  from  Webster  City,  passing 
through  a  most  picturesque  and  wild  region  of 
country.  The  road  for  the  distance  of  forty  miles 
runs  through  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Platte,  through 
the  great  South  Park,  and  past  the  famous  Butte. 
All  the  stage  routes  to  Leadville  are  exceedingly 
picturesque.  The  road  from  Canon  City  hither, 
passes  through  grand  canons  and  along  rocky  and 
precipitous  acchvities  as  it  winds  up  the  mountain 
side.  Every  moment  of  the  toilsome  ascent  opens 
new  scenes  that  are  grandly  beautiful,  and  the 
traveler  forgets  his  fatigue  in  the  interest  and 
pleasure  afforded  by  the  view  of  such  wonderful 
scenery. 

Arriving  at  length  in  Leadville,  we  find  a  city  of 
perhaps  fifteen  thousand  population,  located  in  the 
centre  of  a  great  mining  region.  Fully  two-thirds 
of  the  adult  population  are  men ;  women  are  scarce 
and  no  doubt  command  a  heavy  premium.  The  city 
is  built  of  wood.  The  fifty- seven  principal  mines 
in  the  vicinity  yield  almost  a  miUion  dollars  a  month.. 

"  The  '  Highland  Chief,'  a  gold  mine,"  says  Pro- 
fessor Newberry,  "  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary, 
simply  from  the  magnitude  of  the  deposit.  The 
structure  is  similar  to  that  of  the  '  Colorado  Prince.' 
As  to  the  workings,  there  is  a  shaft  of  88  feet,  cut- 
ting through  the  porphyry,  and  striking  the  ore  body. 
From  this  to  a  depth  of  162  feet,  there  is  no  bottom 
to  the  ore.  No  one  knows  at  present  the  extent  of 
this  fissure,  but  it  seems  not  improbable  that  it  will 


224 

be  one  of  the  great  gold-fields  of  the  world.  It  is 
certainly,  in  my  opinion,  one  of  the  most  promising 
gold-fields  that  has  been  discovered  on  this  conti- 
nent. No  portion  is  taken  out  that  will  not  pay  for 
working  it.  While  I  was  there,  thirty  tons  gave  a 
return  of  $50.95  per  ton.  I  do  not  know  of  any 
gold  mine  in  the  world,  with  a  width  of  sixty  or 
eighty  feet,  that  will  average  $50  to  the  ton.  The 
Cahfornia  mines,  from  ten  or  twelve  to  fifteen  feet 
in  width,  return  about  $15  to  the  ton ;  in  the  Black 
Hills,  in  gold  mines  which  are  really  paying,  a 
width  of  150  to  175  feet  carries  $8,  $9,  and  $11  a 
ton." 

Pueblo  is  on  the  Arkansas,  near  its  confluence 
with  the  Fountain  River,  and  has  an  elevation  of 
6,300  feet.  It  is  the  key  to  the  San  Juan  country,  and 
although  it  now  contains  but  four  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, is  the  chief  city  of  Southern  Colorado.  It 
supplies  the  mineral  regions  in  the  western  part  of 
the  State.  It  is  situated  on  a  broad  and  level  pla- 
teau; the  chmate  is  delghiful,  and  the  adjoining 
country  remarkably  fertile  and  productive.  Ten 
miles  distant  from  the  city  are  the  Boihng  Springs, 
to  which  invahds  resort  in  great  numbers  every 
season. 

Boulder  City,  5,536  feet  above  sea  level,  is  noted 
for  its  mining  and  agricultural  industries.  It  has  a 
population  of  about  three  thousand,  and  is  the  seat  of 
the  State  University,  and  also  of  the  Agricultural 
and  Mechanical  College  of  the  State.  The  county 
raises  farm  produce  annually  to  the  value  of  two 
miUions,  while  its  mines  afford  three-quarters,  and 
its   manufactures  half   a  miUion  doUars.    In  the 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  225 

vicinity,  gold  and  silver  are  found  in  large  quanti- 
ties. Among  the  richest  of  the  mines  are  the 
"American,"  "John  Jay,"  thirteen  miles  distant, 
**  Melvina,"  nine  miles,  and  '^  Ni  Wot,"  twenty-five 
miles  away — all  gold  mines;  the  "Caribou,"  "No 
Name  "  and  "  Sherman  "  are  most  productive  silver 
mines. 

The  San  Juan  region  covers  an  immense  area  of 
mountain  country  in  the  richest  silver-mining  dis- 
trict of  Southwestern  Colorado,  embracing  the  coun- 
ties of  La  Platta,  San  Juan,  Hinsdale  and  Ouray, 
with  portions  of  Conejos,  Kio  Grande  and  Saguache 
Counties.  In  this  country,  almost  unknown  in 
1876,  over  the  thousand  silver  mines  have  been  dis- 
covered and  located.  It  is  said  to  resemble  the 
mines  of  Potosi,  in  South  America,  which  have 
yielded  more  than  a  thousand  million  dollars  in 
silver. 

The  mines  of  San  Juan  County  have  yielded 
largely;  miners  are  coming  in  rapidly,  and  new 
towns  are  constantly  springing  up.  In  this  region 
both  silver  and  gold  are  found  in  abundance.  The 
principal  fields  of  operation  are  on  the  San  Juan 
River  and  its  tributaries,  and  the  affluents  of  Grand 
River,  on  the  western  slope,  and  the  head  waters  of 
the  Rio  Grande  on  the  eastern. 

In  the  Eureka  district,  the  Uncompahgre,  Iron 
Springs,  Mineral  City,  and  Los  Animas  regions  there 
are  many  rich  mines. 

The  agricultural  resources  of  the  State  have  been 
but  partially  developed,  and  yet  the  wheat  crop  of 
1877  was  1,700,000  bushels;  corn,  250^000;  oats  and 
potatoes  nearly  as  much,  and  hay,  87,500  tons.    Val- 

15 


226  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEBIC  A, 

uable  coal  beds  have  been  found  in  various  places  in 
the  State. 

Freighting  business  by  teams  in  the  mountains  is 
immense.  Six  or  eight  mules,  or  a  dozen  oxen  at- 
tached to  a  wagon,  are  employed  to  haul  freight 
through  the  wilderness,  and  it  is  not  strange  that 
freight  on  heavy  machinery  often  exceeds  the  prime 
cost  of  it ;  and  that  hay  has  been  sold  for  $140  a 
ton. 

As  a  grazing  country,  Colorado  is  unsurpassed. 
In  1877  the  shipments  of  cattle  from  the  State  were 
seventy-five  thousand  head,  valued  at  tw^o  and  a  half 
milhon  dollars. 

Herds  of  cattle  belonging  to  different  owners^ 
stray  from  ranch  to  ranch,  and  were  it  not  for  dis- 
tinctive marks  they  bear,  it  would  be  difficult  or  im- 
possible for  the  several  owners  to  designate  their 
property,  but  by  a  system  of  management  common 
to  the  ranchmen,  the  business  of  collecting  and  sep- 
arating the  stock  is  rendered  very  simple.  During 
the  months  of  summer  and  early  autumn  this  work 
is  performed.  A  director  of  the  count,  or  "  round 
up,"  is  chosen,  and  his  orders  are  obeyed  by  the 
force — forty  or  fifty  men,  provided  by  the  ranchmen 
according  to  their  respective  interests.  These  men 
have  two  or  three  horses  apiece,  and  are  accompa- 
nied by  assistants.  Starting  from  a  given  point, 
taking  a  regular  course,  and  camping  at  night 
wherever  they  may  happen  to  be,  they  traverse  the 
grazing  regions  in  quest  of  the  cattle.  Each  day 
the  horsemen  scour  the  country,  and,  with  the  ex- 
pertness  acquired  by  practice,  they  collect  the  ani- 
mals together,  sometimes  upon  the  plains  and  some- 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  227 

times  in  a  "  corral,"  or  large  enclosure.  The  work 
is  sometimes  exciting  to  both  riders  and  horses,  and 
is  always  attended  with  danger.  Occasionally  a 
steer  will  attempt  to  escape,  but  is  quickly  brought 
back  by  the  skillful  horseman ;  instances  have  oc- 
curred, however,  in  which  the  horse  has  been  killed 
and  the  rider  seriously  wounded  by  an  infuriated 
animal.  Where  their  work  can  be  done  in  corrals 
it  is  comparatively  easy,  but  often  it  has  to  be  done 
out  on  the  open  plain,  and  then  it  is  more  laborious 
and  fatiguing.  In  isolated  locahties,  cattle  are  some- 
times very  wild,  and  will  often  attack  a  horse  and  it& 
rider.  With  a  well-trained  horse,  however,  a  vac- 
quero  can  always  hold  his  ground  against  the  enemy. 
The  owners  of  the  cattle  always  make  it  a  point  to 
be  on  hand  when  rodearing  is  to  be  done.  They 
have  a  keen  eye  for  their  own  stock  if  they  have 
once  given  the  animal  a  scrutinizing  gaze,  and  brand 
or  no  brand,  are  generally  able  to  identify.  The 
branding,  which  is  done  with  a  hot  iron,  and  the 
chpping,  are  usually  the  work  of  an  instant,  but  it 
is  an  age  of  torture  to  the  animals,  which  make  the 
vicinity  hideous  with  their  bellowing  while  the  work 
is  going  on.  After  this  there  is  no  further  trouble 
for  them  until  they  get  into  the  hands  of  the 
butcher. 

All  the  varieties  of  vegetables  raised  in  temper- 
ate chmates,  grow  here  in  abundance  and  of  superior 
size  and  quahty.  The  culture  of  the  grape  is  hkely 
to  become  a  specialty. 

Colorado  has  now  thirty  organized  counties,  and 
forty-two  banks,  with  a  capital  of  two  and  a  half 
million  dollars;  is  free  from  debt,  and,  in  all  re- 


228  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

spects,  is  one  of  the  most  wealthy  and  prosperous 
States  in  the  Union. 

Within  the  State  there  are  3,734  Indians,  retain- 
ing their  tribal  relations — all  Utes,  and  estabhshed 
at  agencies  of  Los  Pinos,  Southern  Utes,  and  White 
Eiver.  Their  reservations  cover  twelve  milhon 
acres  of  land. 

Major  Powell,  in  describing  the  topography  of  the 
State,  says :  ''  The  lower  third  of  Colorado  hes  but 
little  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  while  the  upper 
two-thirds  has  an  elevation  of  from  four  to  eight 
thousand  feet.  Out  of  this  basin  or  plateau  rise 
snow- clad  mountains  to  an  altitude  of  from  ten  to 
fourteen  thousand  feet.  Hardly  any  rain  falls  upon 
this  upper  basin  of  mountains,  but  in  winter,  im- 
mense drifts  of  snow  cover  these  eternal  rocks. 
When  in  summer,  this  snow  commences  to  melt, 
ten  thousand  cascades  and  little  streams  are  formed. 
They  plunge  down  the  rocky  mountain  sides,  cut 
their  courses  through  the  immense  plateaus,  and 
gradually  ran  as  swift  rivers  through  the  silent  re- 
gion. They  cut  deep  channels  through  the  rocks,  so 
that  the  beds  of  these  rivers  are  from  five  hundred 
to  seven  thousand  feet  below  the  general  surface  of 
the  plateaus. 

*'For  two  hundred  miles  the  Green  and  Grand 
Hi  vers  run  in  a  channel  cut  to  the  depth  of  a  mile. 
The  whole  upper  two-thirds  of  Colorado  is  cut  up  by 
gorges  and  canons,  so  that  the  country  is  almost  im- 
passable. There  are  no  evidences  that  these  canons 
are  formed  by  upheavals  of  huge  masses  of  rocks,  but 
they  are  all  caused  by  the  slow  but  perpetual  action 
of  the  mountain  streams.     If  one  hundred  and  fifty 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  229 

mountains  like  Mt.  Washington  were  plucked  up  by 
the  root*  they  would  not  fill  the  Grand  Canon  of  the 
Colorado  River.  The  fall  of  this  river  is  very  great, 
and  differs  from  twenty-five  to  two  hundred  feet  per 
mile;  it  is,  therefore,  not  navigable.  Moreover,  for 
one  thousand  miles  along  the  Colorado  River  there 
is  no  place  where  a  town  or  farm  could  be  located, 
for  the  river  is  entirely  unapproachable  for  that 
whole  distance. 

''  These  canons  have  carried  away  vast  areas  of 
sediment.  The  whole  region  has  become  one  of 
naked  rocks.  Geological  studies  can  here  be  made 
with  certainty;  every  stratum  can  be  measured. 
Nature  Hes  before  us  hke  an  open  book.  The 
amount  of  material  carried  away  by  this  river  is  as 
large  as  a  rock  six  hundred  feet  in  depth,  covering 
the  States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and  In- 
diana, or  as  large  as  California  and  Nevada.  This 
vast  amount  of  rock,  the  storms  of  ages  have 
hurled  off. 

'^  The  rivers  of  Colorado  are  older  than  the  val- 
leys and  mountains.  Gradually  as  the  mountains 
rose,  the  rivers  cut  their  way  through  them.  The 
stratification  of  these  rocks  is  never  sweeping,  but 
always  vertically  broken,  rising  or  falling  abruptly 
from  one  hundred  to  twenty  thousand  feet.  These 
strata  are  always  horizontal,  and  sometimes  there 
are  found  zones  of  rocks  twenty  miles  in  width 
broken  into  irregular  fragments. 

"  The  Colorado  river  carries  about  as  much  water 
as  the  Ohio  at  Louisville.  Where  the  rock  is  soft, 
it  forms  a  broad  river,  but  where  it  passes  through 
basalt,  its  channel  is  narrowed  down  to  sixty  or 


/ 


230  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 

seventy  feet,  and  through  it  this  vast  volume  of 
water  plunges  and  rushes  in  a  mad,  wild  and  irre- 
sistible stream  that  would  carry  anything  before  it. 
Sometimes  when  a  storm  rises  and  heavy  showers 
fall,  this  mile-deep  channel  of  the  river  is  filled  in 
an  incredibly  short  time  to  a  height  of  hundreds  of 
feet,  and  the  torrent  sweeps  through  it  at  a  most  ter- 
rific rate.  There  are  however  no  vertical  falls  of 
any  magnitude  in  the  Colorado." 

Most  interesting  to  the  explorer  are  the  thous- 
ands of  ancient  ruins  found  throughout  the  whole 
region.  These  habitations  are  built  of  stone  and 
often  reach  a  height  of  several  stories.  At  the 
heads  of  the  streams  forming  the  Colorado,  are  the 
most  ancient  of  these  ruins ;  while  further  down  in 
the  deep  clifis  and  canons  they  evidently  belong  to 
a  later  period. 

It  seems  that  the  people  were  driven  from  the 
beautiful  valleys  above  to  seek  protection  on  these 
high  chfis,  which  were  better  adapted  for  defense. 

Did  the  people  who  built  these  habitations  belong 
to  the  race  of  Mound  Builders  whose  wonderful 
works  are  to  be  found  in  Ohio  and  other  regions 
east  of  the  Mississippi  ?  There  are  no  records  or 
memorials  of  any  sort  to  furnish  data  for  an 
opinion.  Of  the  race  and  of  the  great  catastrophe 
that  swept  them  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  all  is 
conjecture.  It  is  evident  however  from  similarity 
in  the  construction  of  these  houses  to  those  of 
Arizona  and  old  Mexico  that  ah  were  erected  by  the 
same  race  of  people. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  231 


CHAPTEK  XIII. 

€limate  of   Colorado — Colorado  Springs — The  Chiann  Mountain- -The 
Ute  Pass — The  Elevation  of  the  Country  at  Points  along  the  Route. 

Invalids  from  all  parts  of  the  world  visit  Colorado, 
and  very  many  of  them  make  it  their  permanent  resi- 
dence. How  grateful  and  invigorating  to  persons 
in  the  best  of  health  is  the  lowering  of  the  window 
and  admission  of  the  fresh  air,  in  place  of  the  op- 
pressive atmosphere  of  the  room  long  closed  and 
sealed  against  healthful  ventilation!  So  is  it,  but 
in  a  vastly  greater  degree,  to  the  wan  and  weary 
victims  of  disease  and  medication,  to  step,  as  it 
were,  from  the  confines  of  impurity,  out  upon  the 
broad  expanse  of  purity,  to  inhale  no  longer  the  noi- 
some air  of  crowded  cities  and  marshy  lowlands, 
but  instead,  the  pure  life-giving  air  from  the  moun- 
tains of  Colorado.  Here  Nature's  remedies  are 
life's  keenest  enjoyments;  here,  upon  the  summits 
of  the  eternal  hills,  with  scenery  on  whichsoever 
side  we  turn,  of  such  subhmity  and  grandeur  that 
the  heart  swells  in  silent  homage  to  Him  so  near, 
that  but  to  extend  the  hand  is  to  reach  the  gates  to 
the  Eternal  City.  While  to  the  sight  there  unfolds 
a  panorama  of  idescribable  beauty  and  awful  sub- 
hmity that  moves  the  soul  to  its  innermost  depths, 
the  physical  being  is  awakened  to  new  hfe  and  vigor. 

To  consumptives,  both  in  fact  and  in  tendency, 
Colorado  has  become  a  Mecca,  without  equal  on 
the  continent  for  salutary  climatic  influences,  and 


while  it  is 
true  that 
very  many 
have  found 
death,  when 
t  h  e  y  ^h  a  d 
confidently 
hoped  for 
new  life,  it  is  seldom 
that  a  timely  and  suffi- 
ciently protracted  visit 
is  not  attended  with  sig- 
nal benefit,  if  not  in- 
deed entire  restoration 
of  health.  The  climate 
in  all  parts  of  Colorado 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  238 

is  proverbial  for  its  mildness.  It  is  similar  to  that 
of  Mexico,  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  same 
plateau ;  but  there  are  portions  of  the  State  more 
highly  favored  than  others. 

Colorado  may  be  chmatically  divided  into  three 
great  sections — Northern  Colorado,  the  main  town 
of  which  is  Denver;  Southern  Colorado,  the  chief 
points  of  which  are  Colorado  Springs,  Pueblo  and 
Canon  City;  and  the  Mountain  region,  the  prin- 
cipal towns  of  which  are  Georgetown,  Idaho,  Fair- 
play  and  Central  City. 

Colorado  Springs,  the  county  seat  of  El  Paso 
county,  may  be  regarded  as  the  chmatic  centre  of 
the  State.  This  town,  a  favorite  resort  of  invahds 
and  of  tourists,  is  on  the  line  of  the  Denver  and 
Eio  Grrande  railway,  seventy- six  miles  south  from 
Denver,  and  has  an  elevation  of  5,975  feet  above 
sea  level.  Its  latitude  is  38  degrees  50  minutes,  the 
same  as  Washington  City.  It  takes  its  name  from 
numerous  medicinal  springs  in  the  neighborhood, 
the  most  important  of  which  are  grouped  together, 
about  ^ve  miles  to  the  west,  among  the  foot  hills  at 
the  base  of  Pike's  Peak,  in  a  beautiful  glen  to 
which  has  been  given  the  name  of  Manitou.  It  is 
the  "  Saratoga  of  the  West;. "  These  are  the  celebra- 
ted "  Boiling  Springs,"  which  years  ago  were  made 
known  to  the  world  by  Col.  Fremont,  Ruxton  and 
other  explorers.  The  native  Indian  tribes  were 
aware  of  their  heahng  properties,  and  regarded 
them  as  supernatural  phenomena.  The  waters  hold 
in  solution  sulphur,  soda  and  iron.  Thousands  of 
invahds  visit  them  annually,  and  many  have  estab- 
Hshed  their  dwellings  about  them.     The   average 


234  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEBICA, 

temperature  of  the  region  about  Colorado  Springs 
is  about  sixty  degrees.  The  thermometer  rarely 
indicates  below  zero,  and  seldom  exceeds  eighty 
degrees  at  the  warmest.  Hot,  sultry  days,  or  damp 
chilly  nights  are  here  unknown.  Snow  seldom 
remains  on  the  ground  longer  than  twenty-four 
hours.  The  winters  are  usually  very  mild  and  the 
absence  of  clouds  the  year  round  is  indeed  remark- 
able. The  clear  sky  and  warm  genial  sunshine  are 
seldom  hidden.  The  atmosphere  is  never  burdened 
with  malarial  and  poisonous  exhalations,  but  on  the 
contrary,  is  highly  charged  with  electricity,  is 
entirely  free  from  humidity  and  is  wonderfully 
exhilarating. 

The  decomposition  of  animal  matter  takes  place 
so  slowly  that  the  noxious  gases  engendered  pass 
away  imperceptibly. 

There  is  no  such  thing  known  in  Colorado  as 
^'damp  night  air."  Although  the  air  is  cool,  it  is 
perfectly  dry,  and  a  person  may  sleep  with  windows 
and  doors  of  his  dwelling  wide  open,  summer  and 
winter,  without  the  risk  of  "taking  cold."  There 
are  hardly  a  score  of  days,  in  any  year,  in  which 
invahds  may  not  sit  out  of  doors,  ride  or  walk,  fore- 
noon or  afternoon,  with  comfort  and  pleasure. 

The  nights  of  midsummer  are  invariably  cool; 
indeed,  there  are  not  half-a-dozen  nights  m  a  sea- 
son when  blankets  are  in  any  degree  uncomfortable. 
The  early  autumnal  storms,  so  much  dreaded  in  the 
East,  never  come  here.  The  autumn  is  the  gala 
season  of  Nature,  during  which  comes  a  long  pro- 
cession of  lovely  days,  fresh  but  balmy,  brilliant 
but  never  oppressive. 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         235 

The  bed  of  the  Fountain  Eiver,  at  Colorado 
Springs,  is  over  a  Hneal  mile  higher  than  Philadel- 
phia. Here  one  must  breathe  more  fully  and  more 
rapidly  than  on  ordinary  levels,  and  the  result  is  a 
permanent  increase  of  the  breathing  capacity.  For 
most  "ills  which  flesh  is  heir  to,"  the  increased 
activity  imposed  on  the  respiratory  organs  by  resi- 
dence in  high  altitudes,  is  a  direct  and  constant 
benefit. 

The  mean  annual  temperature  of  this  region  is 
fifty  degrees.  For  the  five  years  from  1872  to  1877, 
the  mean  temperature  in  winter  was  thirty  degrees ; 
spring,  forty-six;  summer,  seventy;  and  fall,  fifty 
degrees.  Between  July,  1872,  and  the  close  of  1877, 
there  were  only  sixteen  days  on  which  the  sun  was 
entirely  obscured  by  clouds ;  and  the  average  num- 
ber of  cloudy  days  in  a  year  was  but  sixty- five; 
in  the  two  years,  1872-3,  there  were  but  ninety- 
seven  cloudy  days.  The  annual  rain-fall  for  the 
five  years  was  fifteen  inches — in  winter,  one-and-a- 
haH;  spring,  six-and-a-half ;  summer,  four-and-a 
half;  and  fall,  two-and-a-half  inches.  The  average 
snow-fall  was  twenty-two  inches .  The  annual  death- 
rate  of  Denver,  the  largest  city  in  the  State,  and 
embraced  in  the  northern  chmatic  division,  is  only 
ten  to  every  thousand  inhabitants — a  lesser  rate  of 
mortality  than  that  of  any  other  city  in  the  Union. 
New  York  has  thirty-two,  and  New  Orleans  has 
fifty-four  to  every  thousand. 

There  are  two  facts  arising  from  the  altitude  of 
this  region,  which,  in  a  great  degree,  qualify  the 
temperature  of  the  climate,  but  the  influence  of 
which  is  scarcely  manifested  by  the  thermometer. 


236  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  a  more  marked  difference- 
between  the  period  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  and  the 
period  from  sunset  to  sunrise,  than  there  is  on  ordi- 
nary levels.  A  change  of  temperature  is  percepti- 
ble at  the  moment  of  sunset,  and  hence,  a  person 
forming  his  idea  of  cold  merely  from  the  thermomet- 
rical  readings,  would  conclude  that  the  winter  is 
much  colder  than  it  really  is.  The  other  fact  is,  that 
when  the  sun  shines,  there  is  a  more  marked  differ- 
ence between  the  sunshine  and  shade  than  there  or- 
dinarily is  elsewhere.  The  sun  pierces  through  the 
air  in  the  fullness  of  his  power,  but  has  compara- 
tively httle  effect  on  the  atmosphere, — dry  air  being^ 
a  poor  conductor. 

Northern  Colorado,  as  to  temperature,  is  similar 
to  eastern  Pennsylvania,  Denver  being  in  the  same 
latitude  as  Philadelphia. 

Colorado  Springs  has  attractions  for  the  tourist 
as  well  as  for  the  invalid.  It  is  a  pretty  httle  city 
of  about  three  thousand  inhabitants,  about  sixteen 
miles  distant  from  Pike's  Peak,  whose  snow-clad 
summit  pierces  the  skies;  four  miles  from  beautiful 
Glen  Eyrie,  and  from  the  famous  ^'  Garden  of  the 
Gods ;"  aU  of  which  picturesque  and  interesting  lo- 
calities are  accessible  by  good  roads.  The  sur- 
roundings of  Colorado  Springs  are  marvelously 
beautiful.  At  a  distance  of  six  miles  to  the  south 
of  the  city,  is  the  great  Chiann  Mountain,  one  of 
the  grandest,  most  picturesque,  and  beautiful  moun- 
tains in  the  world.  Separating  this  from  the  main 
range,  is  the  wild  and  wonderful  Chiann  Canon, — 
the  second  of  the  continent  for  magnitude  and  sub- 
limity.    Eight  or  nine  miles   away,  in  a  series  of 


AND   WONDEKS    OF    THE   WEST.  237 

beautiful  valleys,  is  the  "  Enchanted,  or  Monument 
Park,"  whose  wonderful  features  of  strange  con- 
glomerate rocks  have  been  mentioned.  Near  the 
South  Park,  through  the  Ute  Pass — over  w^hich 
there  is  a  good  road — the  traveler  arrives  at  the  Pet- 
rified Forest.  Here  are  thousands  of  Petrified 
Trees,  and  other  wonderful  formations. 

The  Ute  Pass  is  a  most  romantic  and  picturesque 
gorge,  through  which  Fontaine  Creek  flows.  Here 
are  the  Ute  Falls — a  beautiful  cascade,  pouring  its 
crystal  waters  over  a  precipice  more  than  fifty  feet 
in  height. 

Southern  Colorado  is  separated  from  Northern 
Colorado  by  the  Great  Divide,  a  high  mountain 
range,  which,  beginning  at  the  main  range,  about, 
thirty  miles  south  of  Denver,  extends  almost  due 
east.  This  climatic  division  has  a  southern  expos- 
ure under  this  great  wall,  with  the  general  chmate 
of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  except  that  it  is  dry. 

In  the  mountain  regions,  any  degree  of  cold,  up 
to  perpetual  snow,  may  be  attained  by  going  high 
enough. 

Persons  in  advanced  stages  of  consuniption  should 
not  venture  into  the  rare  atmosphere  of  greatly 
elevated  plains,  because  of  the  necessity  for  in- 
creased action  of  the  respiratory  organs,  which 
tends  to  hasten,  rather  than  to  retard,  a  fatal  ter- 
mination; and  the  same  rule  is  apphcable  to  any 
form  of  organic  disease  of  the  heart. 

Once  at  Kansas  City,  which  is  653  feet  above  sea 
level,  the  pilgrim  to  the  Eldorado  of  health  is  fairly 
in  sight  of  "the  promised  land."  He  can  leave 
Kansas  City  at  noon  one  day,  to  sleep  the  next 


238  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

night  at  mountain  base  or  peak,  or  he  may  make 
a  gradual  ascent,  stopping  over  at  will  at  the  many 
interesting  points  along  the  route.  At  Topeka,  the 
elevation  is  878  feet.  Pushing  onward,  through  the 
"Italy  of  America,"  as  enthusiastic  writers  have 
termed  the  great  southern  belt  of  Kansas,  the  lovely 
valley  of  the  Arkansas  is  soon  entered,  and  at  Car- 
bondale — so-called  from  the  vast  coal  regions  in  the 
vicinity — the  traveler  has  reached  an  elevation  of 
1,089  feet.  The  gentle  undulations  of  valley  show 
a  very  shght  fall  at  Burlingame.  From  thence  to 
Osage  City,  the  rise  is  scarcely  perceptible,  being 
on  a  level  with  Carbondale.  There  is  a  shght 
decline  at  Beading,  but  at  Emporia  the  elevation  is 
1,169  feet;  at  Cottonwood,  1,192;  Florence,  1,287; 
Peabody,  1,367;  Newton,  1,445.  Again,  and  for  the 
last  time  during  the  entire  distance,  there  is  a  shght 
fall  at  Halstead.  The  ascent  is  now  steady  and 
rapid.  Burton  noting  1,427;  Hutchinson,  1,500; 
Sterling,  1,613;  Kaymond,  1,699;  Elmwood,  1,759; 
Great  Bend,  1,876;  Lawrence,  2,035;  Kinsley, 
2,224;  Dodge  City,  2,516;  Lakin,  3,037;  Sargent, 
3,425;  and  the  hne  of  the  two  States  is  crossed — 
Kansas  to  the  rear,  and  Colorado  to  the  front.  Up- 
ward and  onward  is  the  way ;  Granada  being  3,485 ; 
Los  Animas,  3,076;  La  Junta,  4,134;  Eocky  Ford, 
4,246;  Apishapa,  4,326;  Nepesta,  4,495,  and  finally, 
the  terminus  of  the  road  at  Pueblo,  4,764 — the 
mountains  standing  guard  on  all  sides  with  the 
entrance  to  the  ''  Garden  of  the  Gods,"  directly  in 
front,  presenting  features  of  unparelleled  grandeur. 
Manitou  with  its  wonderful  mineral  springs; 
Denver  with  its  mountain  shadows;  Idaho  with  its^ 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST. 


239^ 


baths,  hot  from  the  mountains ;  South,  Middle  and 
North  Parks  with  their  springs  and  wild  and  pic- 
turesque beauty ;  Long  and  Gray's  Peaks  rivahng 
each  other  in  their  sublimity  and  altitude;  Pike's 
Peak,  over  14,000  feet  above  sea  level,  and  on  thus 
through  the  mighty  range,  one  and  all  are  Nature's 
grand  laboratories  where  health,  vigor  and  happiness- 
are  dealt  out  in  magnificent  profusion. 


240  LIFE  IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEBIOA 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

A  Trip  to  Utah— Among  the  Mormons— Salt  Lake  City — "The  Dead 
Sea"— Mining  Interests— The  Early  Settlements— Scenery  of  the 
Country. 

So  rapid  and  yet  so  delightful  had  been  our  tour 
throughout  the  State  of  Colorado,  and  so  nearly 
had  the  period  to  which  we  had  hmited  ourselves 
expired,  that  but  a  few  days  remained  for  our  pro- 
^  posed  visit  to  Utah,  and  we  were  therefore  obliged 
to  content  ourselves  with  seeing  Salt  Lake  City 
and  a  few  other  points  especially  notable  and  inter- 
esting. 

We  arrived  by  railway  at  Ogden — thirty-six  miles 
north  of  Salt  Lake  City— the  junction  of  the  Union 
and  Central  Pacific  Eailroads,  which  pass  through 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  Territory.  Ogden  is 
a  pretty  httle  town  of  four  or  five  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, distant  882  miles  from  San  Francisco,  Cah- 
fornia.  Here  are  half-dozen  churches,  as  many 
schools,  and  two  good  news  journals. 

As  we  left  Ogden  on  the  Utah  Central  Eailroad 
which  runs  from  Ogden  to  Salt  Lake  City,  we 
crossed  Weber  Kiver  on  a  substantial  iron  bridge. 
Just  beyond,  we  reached  a  high  piece  of  ground 
hke  a  prairie,  only  that  it  is  covered  with  sage  brush, 
and  soon  descried  in  the  distance  the  great  Salt 
Lake,  its  blue  waters  extending  east  and  west,  with 
lofty  mountains  forming  a  magnificent  back  ground. 
Now  the  sage  brush  grows  thicker,  and  small  game 
is  abundant. 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE    WEST. 


241 


South  of  the  cragged  extremities  of  two  moun- 
tain ranges,  is  the  entrance  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
valley.  Here  we  saw  fields  waving  with  golden 
grain,  orchards  pendant  with  delicious  fruitage. 
Soon  the  Great  Salt  Lake  was  in  full  view.  This 
beautiful  lake,  with  its  placid  waters  shimmering 
in  the  sunhght  like  a  sea  of  burnished  gold,  reflect- 
ing the  deep-blue  dome  above,  and  the  grand  old 
mountains  which  cast  their  sombre  shadows  over 


THE  UTE  PASS. 

its  silent  bosom,  and  then  stretching  away  to  the 
distant  southwest,  until  it  seems  to  kiss  the  over- 
hanging sky,  is  an  object  of  the  rarest  grandeur  and 
interest.  This  beautiful  lake  is  fed  chiefly  by  five 
mountain  streamlets,  and  owing  to  the  presence  of 
saline  matter  it  never  freezes. 

The  Great  Salt  Lake,  or  "  Dead  Sea,"  is  the  rem- 
nant of  a  vast  inland  ocean,  with  the  ancient  water- 

16 


242  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

marks  still  distinctly  visible  along  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  where  the  erosion  has  made  a  well-de- 
fined hne  of  shore.  The  margin  of  the  lake  is  cov- 
ered in  some  places  so  plentifully  with  salt  that  it 
may  be  shoveled  up  like  sand.  The  only  forms  of 
hfe  found  in  the  lake  are  the  Crustacea  and  a  marine 
insect.  The  atmosphere  is  a  bluish  haze,  and  the 
scenery  in  the  vicinity  is  very  beautiful.  The  lake 
is  eighty  miles  in  length,  fifty  in  breadth,  and  its- 
elevation  above  sea  level  is  4,200  feet.  Its  commer- 
cial value  is  incalculable,  as  salt  can  be  procured 
from  its  waters  at  a  merely  nominal  cost,  sufficient, 
not  only  for  the  wants  of  the  interior  States  and  Ter- 
ritories, but  for  the  wants  of  the  entire  country.  Va- 
rious analyses  of  the  water  have  been  made,  all 
showing  that  it  contains  common  salt,  Hme  car- 
bonate, lime  sulphate,  epsom  salt,  magnesium  chlo- 
ride, and  iron. 

Salt  Lake  City,  the  capital  and  metropolis  of 
Utah — "  Zion,"  of  the  Mormons — is  built  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Jordan.  The  cleanliness  of  the 
place  and  general  thrift  and  prosperity  of  the  peo- 
ple, is  remarked  by  all  tourists.  The  site  of  the 
city  is  singularly  picturesque  and  beautiful.  It  is 
at  the  foot  of  a  spur  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  and 
has  an  elevation  of  4,261  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  Its  latitude  is  40  degrees  46  minutes  north; 
its  longitude  112  degrees  6  minutes  west.  The  city 
was  founded  by  the  late  President  Brigham  Young, 
in  1847.  It  is  regularly  laid  out  in  blocks  of  ten  acres 
each,  and  the  streets,  which,  by  the  way,  are  lighted 
by  gas,  are  132  feet  in  width,  with  broad  sidewalks. 
On  either  side  is  a  clear  stream  of  water  from  the 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  24B 

mountain  canons,  which,  with  numerous  shade 
trees  and  gardens,  give  the  city  an  indescribable  air 
of  coohiess,  comfort  and  repose.  Street  cars  con- 
nect all  parts  of  the  city.  The  present  population 
is  nearly  25,000. 

The  Jordan  rises  in  the  Wasatch  range  of  moun- 
tains, pursues  a  northerly  course,  expanding  into  the 
charming  Lake  Utah,  and  flows  still  further  north- 
ward to  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  near  which  the  city  is 
located — the  city  of  which  one  of  her  fair  daughters, 
sings: 

•  'Amid  the  dreary  desert, 

Where  hideous  red  men  roam, 
Where  beasts  of  prey  were  prowling, 

We've  made  ourselves  a  home. 
We  have  the  ancient  order 

To  us  by  prophets  given  ; 
And  here  we  have  the  pattern, 

As  things  exist  in  heaven." 

And  we  will  take  her  word  for  it.  If  she  does  not 
know,  who  does? 

In  passing  through  the  city,  which  was  for  many 
years  an  important  station  on  the  overland  route  to 
California,  our  attention  was  first  attracted  to  Tem- 
ple -Block,  which  consists  of  ten  or  more  acres  situ- 
ated in  the  northern  part  of  the  city  on  the  first 
^' bench."  The  benches  are  level  plateaus  extend- 
ing along  the  base  and  parallel  with  the  mountain 
sides,  and  rising  one  above  another  in  regular  suc- 
cession. They  are  supposed  to  have  been  formed  by 
the  action  of  water,  which  doubtless  at  one  time 
covered  the  whole  country,  half  way  to  the  moun- 
tain tops.  These  benches  overlook  the  city,  which 
is  mostly  built  on  the  bottom  lands  of  the  river. 

From  the  first  bench,  the  view  is  especially  de- 


244  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

light ful,  including  the  lake,  spread  out  in  all  its 
grandeur,  to  the  westward,  with  mountains  bound- 
ing the  horizon  in  every  direction. 

The  grounds  are  surrounded  by  a  wall,  from  eight 
to  ten  feet  high,  built  of  stone  and  strengthened  and 
supported  by  semi-circular  buttresses  at  equal  dis- 
tances. The  main  entrance  faces  south,  and  the 
gateway  is  surmounted  by  an  eagle  carved  in  stone. 
The  pubhc  buildings  are  numerous  and  some  of 
them  remarkable.  The  first  in  order  is  the  Taber- 
nacle— an  immense  structure,  the  first  object  to 
which  the  eye  of  the  tourist  is  attracted  on  enter- 
ing the  city.  At  a  distance  its  bell-shaped  roof 
looks  like  a  large  hill  rising  above  the  trees.  The 
building  is  oblong  in  shape,  having  a  length  of  250 
feet  from  east  to  west,  by  150  feet  in  width.  The 
roof  is  supported  by  forty-six  columns  of  cut  sand- 
stone, which,  with  the  spaces  between,  used  for 
doors  and  windows,  constitute  the  w^all.  From 
these  pillars  or  wall,  the  roof  springs  in  one  un- 
broken arch,  forming  the  largest  self-sustaining  roof 
on  the  continent .  The  ceiling  is  sixty-five  feet  above 
the  floor.  In  one  end  of  the  room  is  an  organ  which 
is  fifty-eight  feet  high,  thirty  feet  wide,  and  thirty- 
three  in  depth,  and  has  3,000  pipes.  The  Taber- 
nacle is  used  for  church  purposes,  as  well  as  for 
other  popular  assemblages.  It  will  seat  13,000  peo- 
ple. The  building,  when  completed,  will  cost  three 
miUion  dollars.  The  Temple,  now  being  built  of 
granite  from  the  Cottonwood  Canon,  is  at  the  foun- 
dation, 186  feet  by  ninety-nine  feet,  the  walls  eight 
feet  thick ;  the  towers  are  to  be  225  feet  high.  The 
southwest  corner  of  the  block  contains  the  Assem- 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  245 

bly  Kooms,  a  magnificent  structure  built  on  the  site 
of  the  old  tabernacle. 

Passing  City  Hall,  the  Theatre,  the  Tabernacle, 
and  the  residence  of  the  late  President  Young,  we 
come  to  the  "  Bee-Hive  House  " — a  large  handsome, 
two-storied  adobe  ;_^  building  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$65,000,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  edifices  in  the 
territory.     Temple  Block  is  in  fact  quite  a  village. 

By  the  courtesy  of  Prof.  Joseph  L.  Barfoot  we 
visited  the  Salt  Lake  Museum,  which  is  opposite 
the  Tabernacle  Gates,  on  South  Temple  Street. 
It  contains  almost  everything  that  is  found  in  Utah 
which  is  of  interest  to  the  tourist  or  visitor  seeking 
rehable  information  respecting  the  minerals,  ores, 
and  natural  resources  of  the  region.  The  Museum 
is  one  of  the  best  and  most  complete  in  all  its 
departments  of  any  west  of  the  Mississippi — a 
credit  ahke  to  the  city  and  to  the  curator,  Prof. 
Barfoot,  an  eminent  scientist  to  whose  indefatigable 
labors  and  enterprise  the  excellence  of  the  institu- 
tion is  chiefly  due. 

In  this  museum  we  saw  numberless  objects  of  the 
greatest  interest — among  which  were  specimens  of 
fossils  obtained  in  this  region,  views  of  Salt  Lake 
City  as  it  appeared  in  the  olden  time ;  home  manu- 
factures in  silk  and  cotton,  sugar,  type  and  other 
things;  some  fine  specimens  of  calcareous  tufas, 
petrified  moss  and  sage  brush;  silk  from  Young's 
cocoonery ;  portraits  of  Young,  Kimball,  Smith  and 
other  Mormon  celebrities ;  the  last  spike  and  tie  of 
the  U.  C.  railway,  with  the  hammer  used  at  the 
ceremony  of  opening  the  first  railway  into  Salt 
Lake  City,  which  was  performed  by  Young,  January 


246  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

10, 1870;  a  variety  of  silver  and  gold  bearing  ores  of 
Utah — the  several  mining  districts,  of  which  there 
are  many,  being  represented ;  the  silver  reef  ores ; 
silver  bearing  sand  stones,  which  are  curious  and 
new  to  science;  silver  ores  from  the  Horn  silver 
mine  and  the  Ontario  or  Park  district;  the  first 
bulhon  made  from  the  ores  of  Utah ;  the  various 
life  forms  of  Great  Salt  Lake — algse  and  Crustacea; 
the  gold  and  silver  coins  of  Utah ;  a  fine  collection 
of  Utah  birds — the  sage  hen,  prairie  chicken,  mud 
hen,  orioles,  wax  wings,  etc. ;  relics  from  Kirtland, 
Nauvoo  and  Carthage ;  ancient  and  modern  curiosi- 
ties of  the  aborigines — chief's  robes,  weapons, 
scalps,  tomahawk,  pipe  of  peace,  pottery,  stone 
axes,  meal  stones,  crania  and  rehcs  from  mounds ; 
hving  specimens  of  birds  and  reptiles  of  Utah ;  Kit 
Carson's  boat,  etc. 

Many  ill-natured  things  have  been  written  of 
Salt  Lake  City  and  of  Utah,  by  tourists  who  have 
observed  with  prejudice  and  written  without  justice ; 
and  as  the  public  abroad  have  turned  to  such  writ- 
ings for  information  and  truth,  so  have  they  been 
too  often  misinformed — where  they  have  sought  for 
truth  they  have  found  falsehood  and  error.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  population  of  Salt  Lake  City  are 
as  cultur.ed  and  as  good  citizens  as  people  of  Boston 
or  New  York.  There  are  thousands  of  people  here 
who  are  not  Mormons  either  in  practice  or  in 
creed.  Christian  churches  of  the  several  denomina- 
tions are  prosperous  and  prospering.  The  Method- 
ists have  a  fine  church  edifice  which  cost  some 
$10,000,  and  other  fine  churches  adorn  the  city. 
The  news  journals  are  first-class,  the  many  schools 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE   WEST.  247 

are  of  fine  order,  and  the  people  as  enterprising, 
industrious  and  courteous  as  those  of  any  city  out- 
side of  the  Territory. 

Utah  embraces  an  area  of  84,476  square  miles  and 
has  not  less  than  130,000  inhabitants,  exclusive  of 
Indian  tribes.  The  territory  is  diversified  by  moun- 
tains, valleys  and  plains.  The  eastern  third  of  this 
vast  region  is  drained  by  the  Colorado  and  its  trib- 
utaries. Green,  San  Juan  and  Grand  Eivers  and 
many  smaller  streams.  The  principal  towns  and 
settlements  of  Utah  are  in  the  fertile  valleys  of  the 
northern  and  central  portions — in  the  great  path- 
way leading  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and 
in  the  rich  mining  regions. 

By  the  treaty  of  the  government  with  Mexico,  in 
1848,  the  region  of  country  now  embraced  in  the 
territory  of  Utah,  passed  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
United  States  and  on  the  9th  September,  1850,  a 
Territorial  form  of  government  was  established. 
The  Mormons  who  had  sojourned  at  Nauvoo,  Car- 
thage and  Council  Bluffs,  arrived  in  the  Salt  Lake 
Yalley  in  July,  1847,  while  yet  the  country  belonged 
to  Mexico.  In  1849  the  Mormons  met  in  convention 
and  formed  a  constitution  ordaining  and  estabhshing 
''  a  free  and  independent  government,"  and  Brigham 
Young  was  elected  President. 

Till  the  settlement  by  the  Mormons,  the  region 
was  a  part  of  the  ''Great  Basin"  of  California, 
mountainous,  barren  and  exclusively  occupied  by 
Indian  tribes. 

The  Wasatch  range  of  mountains  running  north 
and  south,  divides  the  territory  into  nearly  equal 
parts,  which  are  broken  up  here  and  there  by  other 


248  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

mountains.  The  rivers  in  the  eastern  part,  generally 
flow  through  deep  canons  and  cannot  be  utilized  for 
irrigation ;  the  western  streams  can  be  so  used  and 
with  the  grandest  results.  Numerous  lakes,  of  which 
Salt  Lake  is  the  largest,  are  found  in  various  parts 
of  the  west,  some  being  salt,  some  fresh,  some  very 
beautiful,  but  none  with  visible  outlets.  The  sides 
of  the  higher  ranges  of  mountains  are  clothed  with 
timber,  pine  and  fir,  with  some  quaking  ash,  cedar,, 
spruce,  etc. 

"Imagine,"  says  Wolfe's  Gazetteer,  "an  alkah 
desert  with  here  and  there  a  patch  of  sage  brush;, 
its  lakes  salt  or  brackish,  with  a  few  exceptions ;  its 
principal  rivers  flowing  through  deep  cut  banks^ 
so  dry  that  herbage  perished  from  their  very  edges, 
yielding  nothing  for  the  sustenance  of  animal  or 
man,  nor  a  cent  to  the  wealth  of  the  world,  and  you 
have  a  picture  of  what  Utah  was.  What  it  is  to-day 
as  the  home  of  125,000  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  a. 
land  of  fruits  and  grain,  traversed  by  railroads,, 
enlightened  by  schools  and  newspapers  and  churches, 
and  enriched  by  industries,  is  the  result  of  a  defiance 
of  natural  difficulties,  an  endurance  of  privation,  an 
energy  of  purpose  and  a  sublime  faith  in  human  in- 
genuity and  power  without  a  parallel  in  the  history 
of  the  world." 

By  irrigation,  the  desert  became  more  fruitful 
than  the  lands  of  the  Eastern  States.  In  1875  there 
were  under  cultivation  347,750  acres  of  land,  the 
product  of  which  was  nearly  three  miUions  bushels 
of  wheat  and  immense  quantities  of  other  cereals,  of 
the  total  value  of  seven- and- a- quarter  millions  of 
dollars.     Some  tracts  of  land  apparently  fine,  rich 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  249 

soil  of  superior  quality  fail  to  produce  crops,  owing  to 
the  superabundance  of  alkali  and  other  mineral  sub- 
stances, which  encrust  the  surface  of  the  earth.  The 
agriculture  of  the  country  is  carried  on  at  a  heavy 
expense  incurred  by  irrigation,  the  land  having 
generally  to  be  watered  several  times  to  produce 
wheat  and  barley,  and  oftener  for  corn  and  roots. 
Thus  far  277  canals  have  been  constructed  at  a  cost 
of  nearly  two  millions  dollars.  Exploration  by  the 
settlers  led  to  discoveries  of  coal,  iron,  silver,  gold, 
copper  and  lead,  all  in  great  abundance  which  from 
1868  to  the  close  of  1875  yielded  a  total  value  of 
more  than  twenty- two  and  a  half  million  of  dollars ; 
some  of  these  mines  are  very  rich ;  there  are  some 
copper  mines  yielding  75  per  cent,  of  pure  ore.  The 
^*Emma"  mine,  concerning  which  there  has  been  so 
much  litigation,  is  in  the  mountains  of  Utah.  A 
silver  region  has  recently  been  discovered  in  the 
vicinity  of  St.  George,  where  silver  is  found  under 
and  in  sandstone.  In  all  probabihty  all  the  moun- 
tain ranges  of  Utah  will  be  found  to  bear  deposits  of 
valuable  minerals  and  precious  metals. 

Mining  in  Utah  first  began  in  1869,  and  at  this 
time  (1877),  there  are  eighty-seven  mining  districts, 
where  miners  are  at  work.  It  would  be  impossible  in 
a  limited  notice  like  this,  to  particularize  all  that  is 
important  in  relation  to  the  mining  districts  of 
Utah,  or  even  to  name  the  more  important  mines ; 
it  may  however  be  remarked  that  every  doUar  taken 
from  the  mines  represents  a  dollar's  value  in  labor. 

On  the  completion  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad, 
the  Mormons  connected  Salt  Lake  City  with  the 
great  artery  of  commerce  and  also  with  the  prin- 


^50 


LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 


cipal  mining  regions.     There  are  nine  railroads  in 
operation  to-day  in  Utah. 

The  importance  of  the  commercial  interests  of 
Utah  appears  by  the  fact  that  the  value  of  imports 
into  the  territory,  chiefly  merchandise  and  manu- 
factured articles,  reaches  ten  millions  dollars  per 
annum,  and  of  the  exports — mineral  and  agricultural 
products, — seven  millions  per  annum. 


»        ^=^ 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         251 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Up  the  Missouri — Leavenworth— Other  Points  upon  the  Kiver — Scenery 
— The  Stock  Business  of  the  Plains — Remarkable  Lakes — Struck  a 
Snag^A  Buffalo  Hunt — Lost  on  the  Prairie — Manners  and  Customs 
of  the  Indians. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Leavenworth,  we  found  that 
•our  party  from  the  plains  had  also  arrived  and 
brought  with  them  an  abundance  of  game  and  many- 
trophies  of  their  skill  in  the  way  of  specimens  for 
Mr.  Warrington,  and  also  a  beautiful  young  fawn, 
which  had  already  become  quite  tame. 

At  Leavenworth,  we  were  joined  by  two  gentlemen 
•of  that  city,  Messrs.  Lawrence  and  Forristall,  who 
had  business  at  one  of  the  forts  of  the  Upper  Mis- 
souri, with  ample  leisure  for  making  the  trip,  and 
who  formed  an  agreeable  accession  to  our  numbers. 

Leavenworth  is  the  chief  city  of  Kansas.  It  is 
beautifully  located  upon  a  gentle  eminence  rising 
from  the  water's  edge,  and  commands  a  view  of  the 
river  for  many  miles.  At  this  point,  the  river  is 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  width,  and  during  a 
freshet  its  current  is  exceedingly  rapid.  The  first 
house  built  in  Leavenworth  was  erected  in  1854;  its 
present  population  is  about  25,000. 

Fort  Leavenworth  is  situated  three  miles  above 
the  city,  on  the  government  reserve.  The  many 
government  buildings  located  here  give  the  place 
the  appearance  of  quite  a  village.  Very  many  govern- 
ment trains  were  formerly  here  fitted  out  for  the 
^^  Far  West,"  but  the  supplies  are  now  carried  by  rail- 
road to  points  hundreds  of  miles  nearer  their  des- 
tination. 


252 

Weston,  Platte  County,  Mo.,  is  four  miles  above* 
the  Fort.  It  was  settled  in  1838,  and  was  formerly 
an  important  rival  of  Leavenworth  City  and  St.  Jo- 
seph, Mo. ;  but  westward  was  the  course  of  empire,, 
and  Weston  was  soon  left  with  her  hands  in  her 
pockets,  with  plenty  of  leisure.  The  population  is 
about  1,700 — not  more  than  half  its  number  twenty 
years  ago.  It  is  situated  in  a  rich  agricultural 
country,  but  other  cities  offer  better  markets,  and 
its  trade  is  unimportant. 

Forty  miles  above  Weston,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  river,  is  Atchison,  Kansas.  It  is  a  hvely,  pros- 
perous place,  and  rivals  Leavenworth  City  in  com- 
mercial importance.  Its  population  does  not  exceed 
12,000. 

Still  winding  around  numerous  curves,  and  with 
some  difficulty  avoiding  sand-bars  and  snags,  we 
pursue  our  course  and  next  arrive  at  St.  Joseph, 
Buchanan  county,  Mo.  The  main  portion  of  the- 
city  is  built  on  "the  bottoms,"  but  many  elegant 
residences  have  been  erected  upon  the  bluff  that 
extends  to  the  river  just  above  the  older  portion  of 
the  city.  The  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Eailroad 
gives  it  communication  with  the  East,  and  other 
railroads  to  other  important  points.  St.  Joseph  is 
distant  from  St.  Louis  570  miles  by  water  and  305- 
miles  by  railroad.  The  manufactures  of  the  city  are 
varied  and  extensive,  and  in  population  and  business 
activity,  it  is  unsurpassed  by  any  other  point  on  the 
river  except  Kansas  City.  Its  population  is  about 
28,000. 

The  higher  we  ascend  the  Missouri,  the  more 
picturesque  and  varied  is  the  scenery.     The  wide^ 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  253 

l)ottoms  above  St.  Joseph  are  covered  with  a  tall, 
rank  growth  of  prairie  grass,  that  sinks  and  swells 
in  the  passing  breeze;  rocky  cliffs  rise  from  the 
water's  edge  and  tower  aloft  to  the  height  of  three 
or  four  hundred  feet;  the  river  expands  to  grander 
proportions  and  often  exceeds  two  miles  in  width. 

Nebraska  City,  the  next  important  landing,  is 
located  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river  in  Otoe  county, 
Nebraska,  twenty-eight  miles  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Platte  river.  With  the  exception  of  Omaha, 
it  is  the  largest  and  most  important  city  in  the  state. 
Hundreds  of  expeditions  have  started  from  this 
point,  on  their  journey  acoss  the  plains.  It  is  a 
flourishing  city  of  about  ten  thousand  inhabitants. 

Platte  Eiver  unites  with  the  Missouri  thirty  miles 
above  Nebraska  City.  It  is  about  one -third  of  a 
mile  in  width,  but  is  too  shallow  for  navigation.  It 
is  about  one  thousand  miles  in  length ;  and  thous- 
ands of  emigrant  and  government  trains  that  have 
crossed  the  plains  have  encamped  upon  its  banks. 
Its  course  is  from  the  west.  One  of  its  affluents — 
the  Sweet  Water — flows  from  a  gateway  of  the 
Eocky  Mountains,  known  as  the  South  Pass.  The 
North  Fork  of  Platte  Eiver,  rises  in  the  Eocky 
Mountains  of  Colorado,  west  of  Long's  Peak,  and 
flows  a  northerly  course  till  it  passes  near  a  deep 
cleft  in  the  mountains,  known  as  Devil's  Gap,  then 
around  Laramie's  Peak  and  pursues  an  easterly 
course  to  the  Missouri.  The  South  Fork  rises  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pike's  Peak  and  flows  a  northeast- 
■erly  course  till  it  reaches  and  unites  with  the  North 
Fork,  150  miles  west  of  the  Missouri. 

The  State  of  Nebraska  comprises  an  area  of  75,- 


254  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF    AMERICA, 

995  square  miles — larger  than  the  whole  of  New 
England.  There  are  no  mountains  in  the  State. 
The  whole  surface  consists  of  rolhng  prairies,  vast 
table  and  rich  bottom  lands  in  the  valleys  of  the 
numerous  streams.  Nebraska  is  one  of  the  great 
corn- growing  and  stock-raising  States.  The  cHmate 
is  delightful,  and  the  soil — especially  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State — is  excellent.  Its  wheat  crop 
rivals  that   of  CaHfornia. 

Nebraska  was  a  part  of  the  territory  purchased 
from  the  French  in  1803.  It  was  admitted  into  the 
Union  as  a  State  in  1867.    Its  capital  is  Lincohi. 

A  brief  description  of  the  stock  business  of  the^ 
plains  wiU  doubtless  interest  many  readers.  It 
should  be  understood  that  the  grazing  regions  of  the 
plains  extend  from  Kearney,  near  the  ninety-ninth 
meridian,  to  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and  embraces- 
Southwestern  Dakota,  Southeastern  Wyoming, 
western  Nebraska  and  part  of  Colorado  and  Kansas. 
Through  this  vast  region,  cattle  and  sheep  range, 
summer  and  winter,  feeding  on  the  rich  prairie  grass, 
and  requiring  no  attention  except  branding  and 
driving  to  market,  when  in  sufficiently  good  condi- 
tion. 

The  whole  country  is  occupied  by  ranches,  thirty 
or  forty  miles  apart.  Eanches,  as  the  reader  may 
be  aware,  are  the  houses — mostly  made  of  sod — 
where  the  herders  eat  and  sleep.  Government  owns 
the  land,  except  that  the  stock  owners  generally 
claim  from  40  to  160  acres  on  the  water-courses^ 
where  their  ranches  are  situated,  and  this  ownership 
of  the  ranch  settles  the  title  to  the  range,  as  the 
State  law  forbids  any  other  party  to  allow  cattle  to 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         255 

remain  more  than  three  days  on  a  range  already 
occupied.  A  ranch  is  generally  the  abode  of  from 
two  to  five  men,  and  these  can  care  for  from  five 
hundred  to  two  thousand  cattle  or  sheep.  Men 
owning  over  two  thousand  cattle — and  there  are 
many  who  have  twelve  thousand,  and  some  forty 
thousand — generally  have  contiguous  ranches,  about 
twelve  miles  apart. 

The  whole  cost  of  keeping  cattle  a  year,  and  mar- 
keting them,  varies  from  two  dollars  and  seventy-five 
cents  per  head  for  small  herds — less  than  one 
thousand — to  one  dollar  per  head,  for  large  herds. 
Three  hundred  tw^o-year-old  heifers  will  keep  a 
family  in  moderate  comfort,  after  the  second  year, 
and  make  the  owner  rich  in  ten  years.  The  supply 
of  cattle  is  kept  up  by  natural  increase  and  by  the 
importation  of  stock  from  Texas,  which  are  driven 
in  herds  of  many  thousands  to  Ogalaha,  a  small  sta- 
tion on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  some  forty  miles 
west  of  North  Platte,  and  sold  to  stock  growers  all 
over  the  grazing  region. 

From  June  10th  till  the  latter  part  of  July,  these 
Texas  cattle  arrive  at  Ogalalia  in  such  vast  numbers 
that  it  is,  beyond  doubt,  the  greatest  cattle  market 
in  the  world.  No  choice  is  allowed  the  buyer,  ex- 
cept as  to  age  and  sex — a  thousand  is  a  thousand — 
and  the  buyer  takes  his  number,  drives  them  to  his 
range,  brands  them  and  then  turns  them  loose. 

Omaha  is  the  next  city  of  importance  upon  our 
route.  It  is  820  miles  above  St.  Louis  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river.  Its  location  is  pecuharly  favor- 
able in  all  respects.  It  is  midway  between  the 
great  oceans,  in  the  midst  of  an  extensive   and 


^56  LIEE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

exceedingly  rich,  agricultural  region  and  contiguous 
to  rich  mining  districts;  having  uninterrupted 
intercourse  by  water  with  so  many  of  the  principal 
cities  of  the  Union,  and  being  also  the  chief  central 
point  and  Eastern  terminus  of  the  great  Union 
Pacific  Eoad,  the  future  of  Omaha  is  full  of  grand 
probabilities.  Already  the  capitalist  has  seen  golden 
opportunities  here,  and  numerous  manufactories 
Jiave  been  established  that  give  employment  to 
thousands  of  industrious  hands.  Omaha  is  pushing 
forward  with  an  energy  commensurate  with  her 
brilHant  prospects.  She  is  building  depots,  ware- 
houses, elevators  and  bridges  to  facihtate  dispatch 
in  her  great  industries.  The  city  is  located  on  the 
"*'  second  bottom "  or  plateau,  fifty  feet  above  the 
Missouri  level;  thepubhc  buildings  are  many  and 
elegant,  and  in  all  her  appointments  and  surround- 
ings, Omaha  gives  unmistakable  evidences  of  becom- 
ing a  great  city.  The  present  population  is  perhaps 
25,000.  It  was  named  from  the  Omaha  tribe  of  In- 
dians. Opposite  Omaha,  in  Pottawatomie  County, 
Iowa,  three  miles  from  the  river,  is  Council  Blufis, 
a  flourishing  little  city  of  15,000  inhabitants.  It 
derives  its  name  from  the  memorable  council  held 
here  in  1834,  between  Lewis  and  Clark  and  the  In- 
dians. The  Mormons  settled  here  in  1846,  and  after 
remaining  about  three  years,  went  forward  on  their 
journey  to  the  holy  land.  The  city  has  passed 
through  many  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  and,  like 
many  other  western  cities,  is  laid  out  on  a  magnifi- 
cent scale.  It  has  an  air  of  permanent  prosperity. 
The  country  in  the  vicinity  is  fertile  and  populous, 
and  the  city  is  attaining  importance  as  a  railroad 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         257 

<}entre.  Its  population  is  about  fifteen  thousand. 
We  landed  at  Sioux  City,  which  is  situated  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river  just  below  the  mouth  of 
Big  Sioux  river,  900  miles  above  St.  Louis.  Its 
proximity  to  the  frontier  renders  it  an  important 
trading  post.  The  Big  Sioux  river  unites  with  the 
Missouri  just  above  the  city.  It  is  a  narrow  stream 
— not  over  125  yards  wide — but  is  350  miles  in 
length.  It  rises  in  the  Eastern  part  of  Dakota,  near 
the  source  of  the  Minnesota  river,  which  flows  into 
the  Mississippi. 

The  lakes  around  the  source  of  the  Big  Sioux  are 
numerous,  picturesque  and  beautiful.  They  vary 
in  length  from  one  to  ten  miles,  and  in  depth  from 
four  to  fifteen  feet.  They  are  perfectly  clear  and 
the  trout  and  salmon  they  contain  may  be  distinctly 
seen  among  the  boulders  at  the  bottom.  The  banks 
of  some  of  these  lakes  are  very  low,  of  others  they 
rise  in  towering  cliffs  a  hundred  feet  from  the 
water.  Numerous  bands  of  Indians  roam  at  will 
throughout  this  picturesque  region,  and  wild  game 
of  various  kinds  is  plentiful. 

Embarking  again,  we  pursued  our  way  up  the 
rapid  stream  and  soon  passed  the  mouth  of  Dakota 
Eiver,  which  flows  in  from  the  north.  This  stream 
is  about  600  miles  in  length  and  one  hundred  yards 
in  width  at  its  mouth;  near  which  Yankton  the 
Capital  of  Dakota  is  situated. 

The  Niobrara  river  unites  with  the  Missouri,  a 
thousand  miles  above  St.  Louis.  It  rises  in  the 
foot  hiUs  about  fifty  miles  north  of  Laramie  Peak, 
and  flows  in  an  easterly  course  but  a  few  miles 
distant  from  the  northern  boundary  of  Nebraska 

17 


258  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

and  southern  boundary  of  Dakota.  It  is  about  700 
miles  long  and  200  yards  in  width.  Just  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Niobrara,  our  boat  struck  a  snag, 
which  caused  considerable  damage,  and  we  were 
obhged  to  "  lay  up"  for  several  days,  for  repairs. 
An  opportunity  was  thus  given  for  a  grand  hunt, 
which  we  gladly  improved.  Immense  herds  of 
buffaloes  roam  over  the  vast  prairies  on  both  sides 
of  the  river.  Indeed  the  country  between  the  Nio- 
brara and  the  Elkhorn  may  be  called  the  "  Hunter's- 
Paradise."  It  has  ever  been  a  favorite  region  with 
the  Indians. 

Transferring  our  ponies  and  camp  equipage  from 
the  boat  to  the  shore,  our  entire  party,  after  fiUing 
our  saddle-pockets  with  ammunition  and  provisions, 
started  in  a  westerly  direction,  pursuing  our  course 
up  the  north  bank  of  the  Niobrara.  For  a  few  miles 
we  traversed  a  densely  wooded  district,  but  we  soon 
reached  the  open  prairie  beyond.  Galloping  to  a. 
gentle  eminence,  a  scene  of  beauty  and  magnifi- 
cence was  spread  out  before  us.  Far  away  to  the 
western  horizon,  stretched  this  beautiful  and  vast 
savanna,  varied  at  long  intervals  with  undulating 
hiUs,  as  timberless  as  the  level  plains.  South  of  us, 
and  winding  away  toward  the  setting  sun,  the  ser- 
pentine course  of  the  Niobrara  was  traced  for  a 
score  of  miles,  while  north  and  east  of  us,  the  dark 
forests  that  border  the  swift  Missouri  were  rustled 
into  life  by  the  western  breeze.  The  earth  was  cov- 
ered by  a  rich  growth  of  swaying  prairie  grass,  and, 
even  at  this  late  season,  thousands  of  beautiful 
flowers  added  their  rich  colors  to  the  loveliness  of 
the  scene.     To  the  north  of  our  position,  a  mile  or 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         259 

two  out  upon  the  verge  of  the  wooded  district,  was 
a  large  encarapment  of  Indian  lodges,  which  formed 
an  interesting  feature  in  the  enchanting  landscape. 
The  sun  was  fast  sinking,  and,  upon  consultation,  it 


FORESTS  OF  THE  UPPER  MISSOURI. 

was  agreed  to  pitch  our  tents  in  a  little  grove  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  river,  to  pass  the  night 
there  and  make  an  early  start  upon  our  expedition 


260  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

the  next  morning.  Our  arrangements  completed, 
our  camp-fire  lighted,  and  the  evening  repast  over, 
three  of  us  paid  a  visit  to  our  red  neighbors.  The 
moon  was  shining  brightly,  and  the  air  was  just  cool 
enough  for  comfort. 

As  we  approached  the  Indian  camp,  a  loud  jargon 
of  sounds  was  heard.  We  reined  in  our  horses  for 
a  few  moments  to  hsten,  and  found  that  the  savages 
were  celebrating  their  arrival  at  the  buffalo  range 
by  a  hunting  dance.  They  were  assembled  upon  an 
open  space  in  the  middle  of  which  were  squatting 
the  young  men  of  the  village,  hideously  painted  and 
almost  naked.  A  monotonous  chant  was  begun  with 
the  accompaniment  of  the  tom-tom^  lustily  beaten 
by  a  stalwart  fellow,  who  at  regular  intervals  added 
his  heavy  bass  notes  in  monosylables,  which  were 
about  as  musical  as  those  of  a  bull-frog.  One  of 
our  hunters,  who  understood  the  language,  trans- 
lated the  words — ^'  We  have  found  the  buffalo;  he 
oannot  escape;  he  may  flee,  but  our  horses  are 
swift — our  aim  true ;  we  have  slain  many ;  the  buf- 
falo shall  be  food  for  our  people,"  etc.  The  tom- 
tom is  a  hollow  cyhnder  with  a  skin  tightly  drawn 
across  it — a  kettle  drum.  The  performer  entered 
with  zeal  into  his  work,  and  his  grimaces  and  ges- 
tures showed  that  he  meant  "  business,"  if  ever  the 
fated  buffalo  should  put  in  an  appearance.  The 
shrill  treble  of  the  feminine  portion  of  the  company 
mingled  wdth  the  gutteral  tones  of  the  men,  and  all 
echoed  the  burden  of  the  chant.  Having  proceeded 
in  this  manner  for  a  time,  becoming  more  and  more 
spirited,  the  central  group  began  a  rude  and  savage 
dance,  posturing  and  assuming  all  manner  of  posi- 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         261 

tions  expressive  of  the  wonderful  onslaught  they 
proposed  to  make  on  the  first  opportunity,  all  the 
while  yelling  hke  so  many  furies. 

Our  visit  was  untimely  and  not  altogether  safe^ 
for  though  the  tribe  was  at  peace  with  white  men, 
it  is  never  certain  how  soon  the  peace  may  be 
broken,  and  they  might  not  feel  inchned  to  brook 
anything  that  might  appear  to  be  a  disadvantage  or 
hindrance  to  them,  and,  besides,  the  ecstacy  and 
wild  enthusiasm  to  which  they  had  wrought  them- 
selves, might  lead  to  more  or  less  "unpleasantness" 
should  we,  by  any  chance,  give  offense  to  them. 
However,  at  the  close  of  the  dance,  we  approached 
and  through  our  interpreter,  spoke  to  them.  Al- 
though previously  unaware  of  our  presence,  and  we 
had  suddenly  appeared  among  them,  they  evinced 
no  surprise  whatever,  and  answered  our  salutations 
in  their  rude  gutter als.  Their  reception  of  us, 
though  not  positively  unfriendly,  expressed  very 
plainly  that  our  presence  was  not  welcome  to  the 
band,  who  hke  ourselves,  were  in  pursuit  of  game — 
with  this  difference,  that  while  we  desired  only  pas- 
time, they  sought  to  procure  supplies  for  the  com- 
ing season. 

We  very  soon  took  our  leave  and  returned  to 
camp,  where  we  maintained  a  strict  watch  during 
the  night. 

About  midnight,  and  just  as  the  moon  was  dis- 
appearing, a  slight  crackhng  as  of  stealthy  foot- 
steps was  heard,  and  Barstow,  who  was  upon 
guard  duty,  carefully  reconnoitred  the  camp,  but 
only  a  startled  hare  was  descried,  which  quickly 
vanished.    Nichols,  who  was  a  hght  sleeper,  had 


262  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

heard  the  rusthng,  as  slight  as  it  was,  and  left  the 
tent  to  confer  with  Barstow.  In  silence  another 
hour  passed,  when  the  stealthy  step  was  again 
heard  and  this  time  was  followed  by  the  barking  of 
one  of  our  dogs ;  his  cry  was  the  signal  for  the  pack 
to  add  their  voices,  and  we  were  all  aroused  from 
sleep.  At  that  moment  the  crack  of  Barstow's  rifle 
was  heard,  and  upon  leaving  our  tents,  we  saw  two 
Indians  near  the  place  where  our  horses  were  teth- 
ered, making  rapid  flight  to  escape.  Fortunately 
for  us,  however,  the  redskins  had  not  succeeded  in 
steahng  our  horses,  as  they  evidently  intended  to  do, 
and  perhaps  more  fortunate  still,  Barstow^ 's  shot  had 
missed  his  mark.  No  further  disturbance  occured, 
and  with  both  our  hunters  on  guard,  the  remainder 
of  the  night  we  slept  in  peace. 

The  next  morning  the  Indian  encampment  was 
not  to  be  seen.  Their  tippes  or  tents  had  been  re- 
moved and  the  Indians  had  disappeared. 

The  tippi  or  tent  is  formed  by  tying  three  poles 
together  at  the  smaller  ends,  and  raising  them; 
other  poles  are  then  laid  on  and  secured  by  a  cord ; 
the  skin  of  the  buffalo  is  elevated  by  a  pole  on  the 
side  of  the  wind,  and  is  made  to  envelop  the  frame. 
The  edges  have  eyelets  and  are  joined  by  wooden 
pins.  The  base  is  fuUy  expanded,  the  poles  are 
thrust  into  holes  in  the  ground  and  the  skin  securely 
fastened  by  stakes.  An  aperture  for  smoke  is  formed 
in  such  a  manner  that  its  position  may  be  changed 
with  the  wind.  The  erection  of  the  tippi,  the  kind- 
hng  of  the  fire,  and  the  cooking  are  aU  the  labor  of 
the  squaw,  while  her  lord  and  master  saunters  about, 
or  sleeps,  or  smokes  his  pipe  in  the  most  comfortable 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  263 

place  he  can  find.  The  question  of  "woman's  rights  " 
has  evidently  never  been  mooted  among  them. 

In  hunting  buffaloes,  the  Indians  generally  attack 
the  herd  from  such  a  direction  that  the  animals  will 
be  most  hable  to  approach  the  camp,  and  thus 
render  the  transportation  of  the  game  a  less  labor- 
ious task,  for  of  all  things,  Indians  have  a  constitu- 
tional disinchnation  for  labor,  however  hght,  and  a 
ohronic  contempt  for  all  who  perform  it.  Very  many 
sanimals  are  killed,  if  the  hunt  be  successful.  All 
parts  of  the  creature  are  requisite  to  supply  their 
wants  and  appetite.  The  skin  forms  the  bed  and 
the  tippi ;  the  flesh  is  cut  into  thin  slices  and  hung 
upon  poles  about  their  lodges  to  dry  in  the  open  air ; 
the  portions  which  wolves  and  swine  seem  especially 
to  prefer,  but  all  civilized  beings  reject,  are  the  tit- 
bits for  the  filthy  gormands — the  Indians. 

The  next  morning  after  our  night  experience,  we 
left  the  camp  and  started  upon  the  hunt  for  large 
:game.  West  of  us,  at  a  distance  of  eibout  two  miles, 
we  "sighted"  a  herd  of  antelopes.  The  beautiful 
■creatures  alarmed  by  our  presence,  darted  away  with 
the  swiftness  of  the  wind,  but  instead  of  fleeing  di- 
rectly from  us,  they  wound  in  a  graceful  circle 
around  us.  At  length  our  dogs,  which  we  had  pur- 
chased in  Yankton,  dashed  after  them  in  hot  pur- 
suit, when  the  antelopes  fled  precipitately  to  the 
river  on  our  left,  and  we  lost  sight  of  them  in  the 
•dark  green  woods. 

We  journeyed  westward  during  the  whole  of  that 
•day,  and  as  night  approached  we  turned  our  course 
toward  the  Niobrara,  for  the  purpose  of  camping  in 
the  woods  that  border  that  stream.    While  setthng 


264  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEEICA, 

the  question  of  locating  our  camp  at  a  certain  in- 
viting spot  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  our  dogs  sud- 
dently  began  a  furious  barking,  a  few  hundred  yards 
distant.  Hurrying  to  the  place  from  whence  the 
sound  proceeded,  we  found  that  the  dogs  had  at-^ 
tacked  a  half  grown  bear.  His  bearship  was  perched 
upon  his  hind  feet,  with  his  back  close  to  a  large 
Cottonwood  tree,  and  energetically  engaged  in  the 
manly  art  of  self-defence.  A  ball  from  a  Henry 
rifle  ended  the  encounter,  and  that  night  we  feasted 
on  dehcious  steaks  of  bear-meat. 

Early  next  morning  we  were  in  our  saddles,  push- 
ing rapidly  on  in  a  westerly  direction ;  and  toward 
night  we  crossed  the  Keyah  Pahah  river,  a  branch 
of  the  Niobrara  that  flows  in  from  the  northwest. 
No  buflalo  had  been  seen,  although  we  had  been, 
watching  anxiously  for  them  all  day.  Suddenly,, 
far  to  the  south  of  us,  a  low  rumbhng  noise  like 
distant  thunder  was  heard.  The  sound  rapidly  in- 
creased in  volume,  and  soon  what  appeared  to  be  a, 
large  black  cloud  was  seen  low  down  upon  the  hori- 
zon, and  moving  rapidly  toward  us.  Our  position 
was  perilous ;  an  immense  herd  of  buffaloes  was  mov- 
ing down  upon  us.  Our  danger  and  the  necessity 
of  immediate  flight  at  once  became  apparent  to  us. 
all. 

Turning  our  horses  toward  a  clump  of  trees  that, 
grow  on  the  bank  of  the  Keyah  vPahah  about  a  milo 
and  a  half  northeast  of  us,  we  urged  them  to  their 
utmost  speed.  We  did  not  look  back,  but  the  roar 
of  the  living  torrent  behind  us  constantly  increased, 
and  we  fully  realized  our  danger.  The  panic  into 
which  we  had  all  been  so  suddenly  thrown  was  con- 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         265 

tinned  until  we  were  within  two  hundred  yards  of 
the  timber,  and  the  buffaloes  were  within  fifteen  or 
twenty  yards  of  us,  when  the  leaders  of  the  herd 
changed  their  course  abruptly  to  the  left,  and  the 
whole  column  moved  away  with  the  velocity  of  the 
wind.  Seeing  this,  one  of  our  hunters  wheeled  hia 
horse  to  the  flank  of  the  herd  and  laid  two  of  them 
low  with  his  rifle. 

We  now  discovered  to  our  horror  that  Barstow 
w*s  missing,  and  felt  confident  that  he  had  been 
trampled  to  death  by  the  buffaloes.  Search  was  in- 
stantly made,  but  in  vain,  although  it  was  continued 
all  night.  The  next  morning,  however,  we  had  the 
great  joy  of  finding  him  safe  and  sound.  His  adven- 
ture formed  the  subject  of  a  letter  to  friends  across, 
the  water.  In  it  he  says :  "  Onward  came  the  dark 
column  hke  a  mighty  river ,;and  I  began  to  feel  that 
my  race  was  ended,  when  suddenly  a  dark  object 
arose  in  front  of  me,  upon  which  my  pony  sprang 
with  all  his  force,  and  then  fell  headlong  to  the 
earth.  The  momentum  that  I  had  acquired  carried 
me  several  feet  in  advance  of  him,  and  I  received  a 
stunning  fall.  I  rose  bewildered.  The  column  of 
buffaloes  had  passed  within  twenty  feet  of  me,  on 
my  left.  My  pony  was  gone  and  so  were  my  com- 
panions. Near  me  on  the  ground  lay  a  black  wolf, 
the  object  that  had  arisen  in  my  path,  now  dead.  I 
looked  around  for  the  clump  of  trees,  but  they  were 
not  visible.  I  started  forward  in  the  direction  I 
supposed  them  to  be,  but  every  step  I  took  added  to« 
my  confusion.  It  is  easier  to  thread  the  mazes  of  a 
labyrinth  than  to  find  a  lost  point  on  one  of  our 
Western  prairies.     Darkness  set  in.     I  thought  of 


266 

the  immense  herd  of  buffaloes  that  had  passed  with 
the  roar  of  a  whirlwind, — I  was  saved.  I  thought 
-of  my  friends  who  had  been  swept  so  suddenly  from 
my  sight, — I  was  lost. 

Left  alone  as  I  was  on  the  broad  prairie,  a  hunter 
of  greater  experience  would  perhaps  have  accepted 
the  situation,  and  made  the  best  of  it  where  he  was, 
but  I  could  not  content  myself  to  wait  till  the  dawn 
-of  another  day  to  begin  the  search  for  my  compan- 
ions. To  pass  the  night  alone  with  a  dead  wolf  was 
not  among  the  most  agreeable  things  in  hfe ;  and 
then  the  probabihty  that  there  were  dozens  more  of 
the  same  ferocious  species  in  my  immediate  neigh- 
borhood caused  a  thrilling  sensation  to  creep  over 
me  that  was  not  at  all  pleasurable.  I  could  not 
build  a  fire  for  I  had  no  fuel.  Night  had  set  in  and 
I  was  trying  to  decide  what  course  to  pursue,  when 
I  was  startled  by  the  long,  dreary  howl  of  a  wolf. 
C/lasping  my  gun  firmly,  I  started  at  once  in  a  direc- 
tion opposite  to  that  from  whence  the  sound  came. 
Soon,  another  wolf  on  my  right  aired  his  lungs  in 
the  same  cheerful  way,  and  directly  the  whole  at- 
mosphere was  stirred  by  such  a  chaos  of  happy 
voices  as  is  to  be  heard  only  on  the  expanding  prai- 
ries of  the  Great  West.  Wishing  to  treat  my  sere- 
naders  with  all  the  respect  that  the  spirited  nature 
of  their  demonstrations  seemed  to  demand,  I  fired 
my  rifle.  A  pause  of  a  couple  of  seconds  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  howl  so  long  that  it  seemed  as  though 
the  whole  wolfish  tribe  had  a  voice  in  it. 

Pushing  energetically  onward,  my  attention  was 
suddenly  attracted  by  a  shght  rusthng  in  the  tall 
^rass  a  few  feet  to  my  right.    Before  I  could  assume 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.      •    267 

a  defensive  attitude,  a  large  object  sprang  with  a 
sudden  bound  upon  me.  I  grappled  it  with  all  my 
■strength  and  threw  it  from  me,  when  a  low  whine 
revealed  the  fact  that  it  was  only  one  of  our  own 
faithful  dogs,  which  had  been  attracted  to  me  by 
the  report  of  my  gun.  The  presence  of  the  dog  en- 
couraged me  to  hope  that  my  companions  were  not 
far  off,  and  I  fired  several  times,  hoping  that  they 
would  hear  the  report,  and  return  the  signal,  but 
the  night  wore  away  and  I  heard  no  response. 

The  first  blush  of  the  morning  revealed  to  me  that 
I  was  going  toward  the  west,  instead  of  the  east,  and 
I  began  at  once  to  retrace  my  steps.  Morning  ad- 
vanced, and  a  scene  of  wondrous  magnificence  was 
spread  out  before  me.  An  Eden  arose  upon  my 
sight.  Far  away  to  the  east,  the  landscape  rolled, 
glowing  with  a  profusion  of  gorgeous  flowers.  The 
sun  seemed  literally  rising  from  a  sea  of  bloom.  The 
picturesque  waters  of  the  Keyah  Pahah  were  seen 
on  my  left,  gleaming  in  the  light  of  the  morning 
sun  and  meandering  away  to  the  east  hke  a  thread 
of  silver.  My  cheeks  were  fanned  by  a  gentle  breeze, 
ijhat  bore  on  its  wings  the  perfume  of  a  thousand 
fragrant  flowers. 

Wearied  with  a  night  of  toil  and  waking,  I  sought 
la  grassy  mound  that  had  been  cast  up  by  prairie 
dogs,  and  threw  myself  upon  it  to  rest.  I  soon  fell 
into  a  sound  sleep  from  which  I  was  abruptly  awak- 
ened by  the  report  of  a  gun,  very  near  me.  Hastily 
springing  up,  I  was  rejoiced  by  seeing  my  whole 
party  riding  slowly  southward  within  three  hundred 
yards  of  me.  They  had  captured  my  pony  and  were 
now  searching  dihgently  for  its  owner." 

After  recounting  our  adventures,  we  mounted  our 
Jiorses  and  rode  rapidly  away  to  the  west. 


268 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

Nebraska — Climate — Scenery — Kesources — Beautiful  Valleys — Over  the 
Plains — An  Ocean  Drained  of  its  Waters — Old  Fort  Kearney. 

A  beautiful  State  is  Nebraska — a  State  of  greatest 
fertility,  a  comraonwealth  where  honest  labor  is- 
amply  rewarded,  where  skill  and  culture  are  duly 
esteemed,  and  where  progress  is  the  order  of  the  day. 
Were  but  the  haK  known  abroad  of  the  marvelous 
resources,  the  great  and  increasing  facihties  for 
business,  the  glorious  chmate  and  numberless  ad- 
vantages and  opportunities  for  achieving  success, 
offered  in  each  and  all  of  the  States  and  Territories 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  the  tide  of  emigration  west- 
ward, as  great  as  it  is,  would  become  ten-fold 
greater. 

Nebraska  was  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1854,. 
with  Omaha  as  its  capital ;  in  1867  it  was  admitted 
to  the  Union  of  States. 

"  Any  one  who  will  take  a  map  of  the  United  States, 
and  draw  a  hne  across  it  from  New  York  to  San 
Francisco,  and  regard  that  hne  as  the  middle  of  a. 
belt  extending  two  degrees  north  of  it,  and  two  de- 
grees south  of  it,  will  reahze  a  state  of  things,  per- 
haps httle  suspected,  but  which  will  cast  into  the 
shade  the  grandest  pictures  that  ever  dazzled  imagi- 
nation or  immortalized  art.  That  belt  includes  all 
that  man  covets  as  essential  to  his  happiness,  the 
full  development  of  his  powers  and  the  regal  sway 
of  his  civihzation.    It  includes  the  States  whose 


AND   WONDEKS    OF   THE   WEST.  269 

Mstory,  population  and  intelligence  make  their  de- 
cisions final  in  the  highest  afiairs  of  State,  the 
mountain  ranges  principally  affecting  cHmate,  many 
of  the  navigable  rivers,  numerous  inland  seas,  vast 
productive  plains,  the  principal  sea  ports,  and  all 
the  largest  cities  of  the  continent.  Between  these 
parallels  of  latitude,  enterprise  has  achieved  its 
grandest  successes.  Arts  and  manufactures  exist 
without  number,  railroads  and  canals  look  like  a 
delicate  net  work  spread  over  its  eastern  half,  and 
with  its  Hnes  of  telegraph,  it  realizes  the  perfect 
ideal  of  internal  communication.  Side  by  side  with 
the  mighty  workshops  of  this  region,  stand  the 
school,  the  college  and  the  church. 

The  resources  of  the  district  are  almost  infinite. 
Population  clusters  and  grows  dense  here.  Wealth 
flows  into  it.  It  is  the  great  productive  garden  of 
the  world,  rich  in  lumber,  grain,  fruit  and  pasture 
for  countless  herds  and  flocks,  while  below  the  sur- 
face wealth,  he  inexhaustible  treasures  of  gold  and 
silver,  copper,  iron  and  coal."  Such  is  the  picture 
drawn  by  J.  M.  Wolfe,  in  his  excellent  work,  and 
it  is  true  in  spirit  and  in  letter. 

Nebraska  has  its  place  in  the  very  heart  of  this 
region.  "  On  the  one  side  are  the  Eastern  States 
with  their  manufactures  and  on  the  other,  the 
Western  Territories  with  their  mineral  wealth.  To 
the  north  the  forests  of  Minnesota,  to  the  south  the 
luxuriant  semi-tropical  fruits  and  other  productions, 
while  the  State  itself  embraces  fifty  million  acres 
of  agricultural  and  pastoral  lands,  than  which  none 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  are  richer.  The  surface  of 
the  country  rises  gradually  from  the  Missouri  till  in 


270  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

the  west  an  elevation  of  five  thousand  feet  is  at- 
tained. Gently  rolhng  prairie,  or  broad  level  bottom 
lands  are  descriptive  terms  that  will  apply  to  all  the 
surface  of  Nebraska." 

Three  large  streams  traverse  the  State — the 
Platte,  the  Niobrara  and  the  Republic  an.  The 
Platte,  running  from  east  to  west  divides  the  State 
nearly  equally.  From  the  north  and  south  at 
nearly  equal  distances,  numerous  tributaries  flow 
through  valleys  of  surpassing  beauty  and  fertihty, 
affording  an  ample  supply  of  water  for  all  the  wants 
of  art  and  agriculture.  The  soil  is  a  rich  vegetable 
mould  from  two  to  six  and  even  eight  feet  deep — 
the  accumulation  of  centuries.  Beneath  this  is  a 
singular  lacustrine  deposit,  referable  to  the  period 
when  a  vast  lake  covered  the  area  now  included  in 
the  Western  States  and  Territories.  It  forms  about 
three  fourths  of  the  surface  of  the  State  of  Nebraska 
and  is  exceedingly  rich  in  all  the  elements  of  vege- 
table growth.  It  also  obviates  the  ordinary  results 
of  drought  and  of  long- continued  rain;  as  this  sub- 
soil retains  the  surplus  moisture  and  thus  promotes- 
thrifty  vegetation;  and  this  remarkable  feature 
accounts  for  the  good  roads  of  Nebraska.  In  some 
instances  the  soil  has  been  cropped  for  seventeen 
years  without  any  indication  of  exhaustion  and 
without  the  use  of  fertilizers. 

In  climate,  the  Western  Territories  have  an  almost 
infinite  advantage  over  the  eastern  States  in  the 
same  latitude.  For  instance,  during  the  winter  of 
1871-2  the  mean  temperature  during  the  months 
of  December,  January,  February  and  March,  at 
Helena,   Montana,  was  30  degrees — precisely  the 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  271 

same  that  it  was  at  Philadelphia,  which  is  six-and- 
a-half  degrees  further  south,  and  four  degrees 
higher  than  it  was  at  Chicago,  which  is  four-and-a- 
half  degrees  further  south.  As  the  reader  is  aware, 
the  isotherms  or  lines  of  mean  annual  temperature 
do  not  correspond  to  the  parallels  of  latitude.  When 
we  consider  that  Helena,  which  is  on  the  mountains- 
and  almost  a  mile  higher  than  New"  York  or  Phila- 
delphia has  a  more  temperate  cHmate  than  either 
of  the  latter  places,  we  may  realize  the  superior 
advantages  of  chmate  of  regions  between  the  moun- 
tains and  the  Missouri  river. 

The  climate  of  this  favored  region  is  not  to  be 
determined  by  reference  to  latitude  only,  but  the 
elevation  of  the  country,  the  general  inchnation  of 
the  surface,  the  rapid  course  of  the  rivers,  and  the 
absence  of  low  swampy  lands,  are  all  to  be  taken 
into  the  account,  and  all  combine  in  giving  to  Ne- 
braska an  atmosphere,  clear,  bracing  and  dry,  to 
moderate  the  inclemencies  of  winter  and  the  heat 
of  summer.  The  pure  air  of  the  prairie  imparts 
new  life  and  vigor  to  the  invahd,  and  is  dehghtful  to 
persons  in  sound  health.  The  spring  often  opens 
in  February,  and  the  autumn  is  protracted  to  the 
last  days  of  the  year.  Cattle  roam  over  these  pleas- 
ant regions  summer  and  winter  without  shelter,  and 
find  abundant  sustenance  upon  the  lands. 

Although  Nebraska  does  not  have  as  great  a  rain- 
fall in  a  year  as  most  other  regions  in  the  same  lati- 
tude, the  average  mean  rainfall  during  April,  May, 
June,  July,  August  and  September,  is  three-and-a- 
haK  inches — a  greater  quantity  of  rain  during  these 
agricultural  months  than  Illinois,  and  Uttle  less  than 


272  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEEICA, 

Missouri  or  Ohio.  Snow  seldom  remains  more  than 
a  few  days  at  a  time.  The  productions  of  the  soil 
are  those  common  to  the  latitude,  but  in  quantity 
and  quality  are  abundant  and  excellent.  At  the 
Centennial,  as  many  of  our  readers  may  remember, 
the  fruit  exhibition  of  Nebraska  attracted  much  at- 
tention, and  has  doubtless  told  upon  the  emigration 
to  the  State.  The  supply  of  timber  is  not  large,  but 
is  constantly  increasing.  Artificial  groves  are  spring- 
ing up  in  every  direction.  The  same  varieties  of 
forest  trees  are  found  in  Nebraska  as  in  Kansas.  In 
Lincoln  there  are  salt  springs  that  yield  abundantly. 
Nebraska  is,  perhaps,  not  favored  with  mineral 
wealth.  Stone  suitable  for  "building  purposes  is 
found  in  many  parts  of  the  State,  and  is  as  beauti- 
ful as  it  is  desirable.  Much  of  the  architectural 
beauty  of  the  pubhc  buildings  in  Omaha  and  in  Iowa 
is  due  to  the  magnesian  lime-stone  of  Nebraska. 
There  are  eight  or  nine  railroads  in  the  State,  and 
others  will  be  constructed  at  an  early  day.  The 
Union  Pacific  traverses  the  entire  length  of  the 
State  from  east  to  west. 

The  principal  vaUeys  south  of  the  Platte  are  the 
Nemaha  and  Blue ;  and  in  the  North  Platte  country 
the  Loup  Fork  and  the  Elkhorn  vaUeys.  The  Elk- 
horn  Eiver  rises  south  of  the  42d  parallel  north  lati- 
tude, and  200  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  Eiver,  and 
drains  a  country  of  at  least  ten  thousand  square 
miles.  The  valleys  are  very  extensive  and  fertile 
— a  paradise  for  large  game.  Elk,  deer  and  antelope 
in  large  herds  may  be  seen,  and  in  the  low  hiUs  the 
hunter  finds  a  great  variety  of  game  in  abundance. 
There  are  a  number  of  promising  towns  and  vil- 
lages in  the  beautiful  Elkhorn  VaUey. 


AND   WONDEKS    OF   THE   WEST.  273 

None  who  see  the  Platte  Valley  for  the  first  time 
fail  to  admire  its  placid  beauty.  For  six  hundred 
miles,  with  a  width  varying  from  four  to  twelve 
miles,  the  valley  extends  in  a  westerly  direction, 
gradually  ascending  toward  the  base  of  the  Eocky 
Mountains,  everywhere  beautiful  with  flowers,  ver- 
dure, crops,  natural  and  artificial  groves,  and  resi- 
dences, continually  bounded  by.  blufis  whose  out- 
lines and  shadows  form  ever- changing  and  enchant- 
ing pictures  of  which  the  eye  never  wearies. 

*'Its  direct  course  and  unbroken  surface  made  this 
valley  the  popular,  indeed  the  only  highway  to  the 
West,  when  stories  of  the  wealth  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
and  its  mountain  ranges,  drove  men  mad  with  thirst 
for  gold.  But  a  few  years  ago,  caravans  of  freight- 
ers and  emigrants  slowly  toiled  along  over  its  grassy 
surface,  or  camped  in  its  occasional  groves,  some  to 
reap  a  golden  harvest,  others  to  fall  before  the 
mighty  reaper  and  forget  all  their  bright  hopes. 
The  Indians  never  could  reconcile  themselves  to  the 
unchallenged  passage  of  the  white  men  through 
their  hunting  grounds,  driving  away  the  buffalo, 
deer  and  antelope,  and  many  a  ruinous  stampede, 
secret  ambush  and  bloody  fight  lives  in  the  memory 
of  those  times.  But  for  the  heroism  of  the  man  and 
women  then,  these  Western  States  and  Territories 
would  still  be  the  home  of  the  wild  beast  and  still 
wilder  savage. 

No  less  interesting  is  this  valley,  as  an  illustration 
of  the  way  in  which  the  surface  of  a  part  of  the 
world  was  made  habitable,  and  the  tremendous 
agencies  by  which  it  was  accomplished.  Standing 
upon  its  bluffs,  the  story  is  to  be  read  in  characters 

18 


274 

almost  as  clear  cut  as  if  the  achievement  was  of  yes- 
terday. A  lake,  oceanic  in  size,  is  slowly  drained  of 
its  waters.  These  become,  in  different  directions, 
mighty,  turbulent  rivers  which  cut  their  way  down 
through  hundreds  of  feet  of  deposit,  forming  in  their 
subsidence,  terraces  of  various  widths,  till  at  last, 
like  the  one  before  us,  they  roll  their  shallow  wat- 
ers over  beds  of  sand,  wandering  from  side  to  side 
of  their  valleys,  touching  alternately,  with  gentle 
ripples,  the  opposite  bluffs,  whose  tops  were  once 
swept  by  their  proud  and  resistless  waves.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  in  the  formation  of  the  Platte 
Yalley  an  area  of  2000  square  miles  of  sediment  1000 
feet  thick,  has  been  carved  out  and  carried  away  by 
the  tremendous  forces  at  work  in  some  far  remote 
period.  The  process  finished,  and  a  soil  was  produced, 
deep,  mellow  and  warm,  free  from  every  impediment 
to  the  plow,  rich  in  every  element  essential  to  the 
life  of  plant  and  tree,  and  yielding  a  hundred-fold  in 
return  for  cultivation. 

Kearney,  the  county  seat  of  Buffalo  county,  is  the 
junction  of  the  Burhngton  and  Missouri  and  the  St. 
Joseph  and  Denver  railroads,  with  the  Union  Paci- 
fic. Old  Fort  Kearney  is  now  dismantled  and  the 
reservation  will  soon  be  devoted  to  settlement  and 
cultivation.  The  route  from  this  point  to  the  Black 
Hills  is  described  as  direct,  easy  and  well  supplied 
with  grass,  wood  and  water.  The  site  upon  which 
Kearney  is  built  slopes  toward  the  valley  of  the 
Platte,  which  can  be  seen  for  miles,  threading  its 
way  through  groves  and  pastures,  watering  a  charni- 
ing  region  embraced  in  seven  counties.  Believing 
that  sooner  or  later  the  State  and  National  capitals 


PALACE  BUTTE,  COL. 

Palace  Bntte  rises  in  an  almost  dome-shaped  mass  from  a  blank  wall,  on  whose 
sides  we  can  distinguish  narrow,  silver-Uke  lines,  reaching  from  the  top  down  until 
they  are  hidden  behind  the  trees.  These,  we  afterward  discover,  are  waterfalls,  fed 
by  the  snow  above.  Without  any  visible  means  of  supix)rt,  they  seem  to  chng  to  the 
rock  for  protection. 


276  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OP   AMEEICA, 

will  be  removed,  the  one  from  Lincoln  to  a  more 
central  part  of  the  State,  and  the  other  from  the 
-Atlantic  seaboard  to  the  very  heart  of  this  great 
Union,  the  people  of  Kearney  have  laid  off  magnifi- 
■cent  sites  for  the  necessary  buildings,  when  this 
change  shall  have  occurred,  and  travelers  are  in- 
vited to  look  with  more  than  passing  interest,  upon 
Sb  spot  solemnly  dedicated  as  the  seat  of  Govern- 
ment in  the  future,  and  picture  the  transformation 
by  which  the  prairie  will  be  converted  into  spacious 
lavenues  and  streets  lined  with  palatial  buildings,  a 
city  bristhng  with  towers  and  spires,  and  crowning 
all,  the  marble  halls  of  legislation. 

With  this  brief  sketch  of  Nebraska,  its  present 
distinction  and  grand  probabihties  in  the  near  fu- 
ture, we  resume  our  narrative. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         277 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

The  Great  Sand-Banks— Wild  Animals— A  Bear  Hunt— The  "Bad 
Lands  "  of  Dakota—  The  Wonderful  Valley— A  Night's  Experience— The 
Black  Hills — Harney's  Peak — An  Enchanting  View  from  the  Summit — 
Bridger,  the  Noted  Trapper — His  Adventures— Wonderful  Cave — 
Diversity  of  Scenery  Along  the  River. 

Toward  night,  we  crossed  the  Niobrara  and  en- 
camped on  its  southern  bank.  The  next  morning 
we  rode  a  few  miles  to  the  southward  and  saw  the 
sand-banks,  rising  from  the  plain  hke  snow-drifts, 
and  extending  for  a  distance  of  many  miles,  in  ap- 
pearance resembling  the  foam-capped  waves  of  the 
sea.  This  region  of  sand  lies  between  the  Snake 
and  Niobrara  rivers  on  the  usual  route  from  Kearn- 
ey to  the  Black  Hills,  and  is  in  strange  contrast  to 
the  fertile  and  charming  country  through  which 
we  have  passed. 

Eeturning  down  the  right  bank  of  the  Niobrara, 
we  passed  through  a  large  "village"  of  prairie  dogs. 
These  interesting  little  animals  burrow  in  the  earth, 
and  their  villages  sometimes  cover  thousands  of 
acres.  They  sit  around  the  entrances  to  their 
dwellings,  and  on  the  least  alarm  they  utter  a  pe- 
culiar cry  or  bark  and  instantly  disappear.  The 
wild  animals  of  this  region  are  the  buffalo,  elk,  deer, 
antelope,  prairie  woK  or  coyote,  black  bear,  black 
wolf  and  panther.  The  black  wolf,  which  is  seldom 
seen,  is  a  very  fierce  and  dangerous  animal,  but  the 
coyote  of  the  plains  is  exceedingly  cowardly. 

We  camped  one  more  night  on  the  south  bank  of 


278  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

the  Niobrara,  and  the  next  evening,  after  a  hard  day's 
ride,  arrived  in  safety  at  the  steamer.  We  found 
the  bank  of  the  river  in  the  vicinity  of  the  boat, 
thronged  with  Sioux  Indians,  all  eager  for  barter. 
The  repairs  were  still  going  on,  and  we  were  there- 
fore compelled  to  remain  here  a  little  longer. 

The  next  morning,  a  young  Indian  announced  that 
he  had  seen  an  old  bear  and  cub  on  the  bluff  of  a 
small  creek  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Sev- 
eral of  the  party  proceeded  at  once  to  the  place  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  game.  Eeaching  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  they  advanced  for  a  hundred 
yards  or  more,  then  hastily  clambering  up  the  bluff, 
they  soon  found  the  cub  in  a  recess  of  the  rocks,  but 
the  dam  was  not  to  be  seen.  By  means  of  a  rope 
they  secured  the  cub  without  difficulty,  but  when 
they  dragged  it  down  the  chff ,  the  young  bear  made 
a  noisy  protest,  and  as  the  men  entered  the  boat 
with  their  prize,  they  discovered  the  old  bear  bound- 
ing down  the  cliff.  Just  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  a 
large  rock  projected  over  the  water,  and  toward  this 
point  the  bear  advanced.  Several  shots  were  fired 
at  her,  but  without  great  effect,  and  an  attempt 
was  made  to  run  the  blockade ;  but  at  the  moment 
of  reaching  the  river,  the  bear  sprang  from  the  ex- 
treme point  of  the  rock  directly  into  the  boat.  The 
celerity  with  which  the  gentlemen  vacated  the 
premises  was  really  astonishing,  and  extremely  lu- 
dicrous to  persons  in  a  less  perilous  position.  The 
boat  had  acquired  sufficient  headway  to  carry  it  out 
into  the  current,  and  with  the  animals  in  it,  drifted 
down  the  stream,  while  the  discomfited  men  made 
their  way  along  the  opposite  bank.    Another  boat 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE   WEST.  279 

succeeded,  by  an  ingenious  device,  in  towing  the 
bear-barge  to  the  shore,  where,  after  no  httle  dif- 
ficulty, the  animals  were  killed, — an  entirely  novel 
mode  of  bear  hunting. 

Leaving  the  mouth  of  the  Niobrara,  we  proceeded 
on  our  course.  Several  forts  are  located  at  various 
points  on  the  Missouri,  but  they  generally  present 
but  little  interest  for  tourists. 

Having  made  the  distance  of  150  miles  above  the 
confluence  of  the  Niobrara  with  the  Missouri,  we 
arrived  at  the  White  Kiver,  which  is  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  in  width  at  its  mouth.  Its  length  is 
about  500  miles.  Between  the  head  waters  of  this 
river  and  the  Black  Hills,  the  famous  Mauvaises 
Terres  are  located.  This  wonderful  valley,  usually 
called  the  "bad  lands,"  is  a  natural  sink,  about 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  wide  and  about  seventy- 
five  miles  long.  From  the  open  prairie  on  the 
south,  the  tourist  descends  a  gentle  decHvity  to  the 
bottom  of  the  valley,  which  is  from  150  to  250  feet 
below  the  level  of  the  prairie.  A  peculiar  sensation, 
perhaps  akin  to  that  experienced  by  a  visitor  to  the 
catacombs  of  some  ancient  city,  is  felt  the  mo- 
ment the  traveler  steps  upon  the  sterile  ground. 
No  vegetation  is  seen,  except  a  very  scanty  growth 
of  wiry  grass  that  never  exceeds  a  few  inches  in 
height.  No  sound  of  life  is  audible,  but  an  oppres- 
sive silence  pervades  the  dismal  solitude.  Immense 
rocks  of  a  basaltic  character  are  distributed  over  the 
entire  area,  and  the  wonderful  and  fantastic  shapes 
they  assume  give  the  appearance  of  a  ruined,  an- 
cient city.  Sometimes  they  seem  gigantic  castles, 
mth  walls  and  moats  and  battlements  and  towers ; 


280  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMEEICA, 

again  they  rise  in  immense  columns  two  hundred 
feet  in  height.  Dome-shaped  pyramids,  irregular 
shafts  and  massive  towers  rise  before  you  at  every 
step — taleless  monuments  of  an  age  of  mystery. 
Fossil  remains  of  gigantic  pachyderma — non-rumi- 
nant mammals — now  extinct,  are  seen  in  hollows, 
of  the  desolate  earth,  while  bones  of  existing  species 
are  scattered  around  and  lie  bleaching  upon  the 
surface. 

The  rocks  that  loom  up  so  grandly  and  in  such 
various  shapes  from  the  bed  of  the  valley,  often  rise 
above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  plain.  Thia 
wonderful  locality  has  the  appearance  of  having 
once  been  the  bed  of  a  vast  lake,  or  of  an  under- 
ground labyrinth,  with  endless  mazes  of  fathomless 
intricacy,  from  which  the  covering  has  been  re- 
moved, and  the  entire  net-work  of  mysterious  wind- 
ings revealed  to  the  sight  of  astonished  man. 
Fancy  renders  these  realms  the  catacombs  of  soma 
ancient  city,  the  walls  of  which  have  long  since 
been  obhterated  by  the  hand  of  time. 

The  numerous  extensive  ruins  of  New  Mexico, 
Arizona,  and  other  portions  of  the  West,  attest  the 
fact  that  all  our  great  western  plains  and  prairies, 
were  once  the  homes  of  millions  of  human  beings, 
and  here,  perhaps,  was  their  great  metropolis. 
Here,  in  their  great  city,  with  its  golden  spires, 
reaching  to  the  skies,  this  people,  in  their  arrogance 
and  pride,  dared  profane  the  name  of  God,  and  His 
curse  fell  upon  them ;  the  fire-fiend  reigned  in  their 
dwellings,  or  their  proud  walls  crumbled  at  the 
earthquake's  shock.  Such  fancies  seize  upon  the 
wanderer  over  this  silent,  weird,  wonderful  and  deso- 
late region. 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  281 

We  encamped  one  night  in  this  remarkable  val- 
ley, and  were  the  unwilling  witnesses  of  a  natural 
phenomenon  fully  in  keeping  with  the  general  as- 
pect of  the  place.  Having  spread  our  blankets  at. 
the  foot  of  a  tall  pyramid,  we  laid  down  to  sleep. 
The  night  was  intensely  dark,  and  we  were  destitute 
of  the  means  of  kindling  a  fire ;  the  light  of  the  stars 
was  obscured  by  great  ominous  clouds,  that  rose  in 
the  southwest  and  spread  out  over  the  heavens  hka 
a  pall.  The  wind  sighed  mournfully  and  whistled 
and  shrieked  among  the  tow^ering  shafts.  Soon  a. 
low,  rumbling  sound,  away  to  the  south,  gave  indica- 
tions of  an  approaching  storm. 

The  darkness  seemed  to  increase;  and  wailing 
sounds,  at  first  in  low,  plaintive  tones,  and  then 
swelling  to  piercing  shrieks,  fell  with  awful  distinct- 
ness upon  our  ears.  Our  position  was  not  altogether 
agreeable  or  comfortable,  but  there  was  no  more 
hope  of  safety  in  flight  than  in  remaining  where  we 
were.  The  wind  increased  to  a  hurricane,  and  blue 
Hghts  danced  around  us  in  the  darkness,  and  seemed 
to  menace  us  with  fingers  of  flame.  It  seemed  as  if 
all  the  furies  had  been  loosened  upon  the  earth,  and 
that  we  were  the  objects  of  their  special  attention. 
Lightnings  flashed,  thunders  roared  and  volumes  of 
sand  were  raised  from  the  earth  and  dashed  down 
upon  us  with  terrible  effect,  fiUing  our  eyes,  mouths 
and  nostrils  with  a  noxious,  suffocating  dust.  Draw- 
ing our  blankets  over  our  heads,  we  waited  as  pa- 
tiently as  possible  for  the  storm  to  subside.  Soon 
the  wind  ceased  and  with  its  cessation,  the  dust; 
the  tumult  was  over,  the  storm  was  past ;  the  clouds 
vanished ;  the  stars  shone  as  brightly,  and  all  was  as. 
quiet  as  ever. 


"282  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

A  recent  work  upon  the  agricultural  resources  of 
the  West  says,  that  the  whole  space  west  of  the 
^5th  degree  of  longitude,  embracing  half  of  the  entire 
surface  of  the  United  States,  is  an  arid,  desolate 
waste,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  belt  of  rich 
lands  along  the  Pacific  coast.  And  this  writer  is 
an  American,  who  expects,  doubtless,  to  be  credited 
with  knowledge  of  his  subject  and  with  veracity. 
That  he  is  utterly  mistaken  is  well  attested.  My 
own  observations  corroborated  by  the  statements  of 
other  explorers,  warrant  the  assertion  that  the  whole 
extensive  region  north  of  the  40th  degree  of  latitude, 
and  lying  between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  excepting  the  sand  plains  of  Nebraska 
and  the  "bad  lands"  of  Dakota,  of  hmited  area,  as 
already  described,  is  better  adapted  to  agricultural 
purposes  than  is  the  corresponding  region  lying  be- 
tween the  Missouri  Eiver  and  the  great  lakes. 

While  the  httle  steamer  plied  her  way  around  the 
magnificent  bends  of  the  Missouri,  to  await  our  ar- 
rival at  the  mouth  of  the  Cheyenne  River,  the  party 
proceeded  across  the  fertile  belt  of  beautiful  country, 
lying  between  the  Mauvaises  Terres  and  the  Black 
Hills.  We  traveled  in  a  northwesterly  direction, 
and  were  far  out  upon  the  prairies,  when  one  of  our 
number  called  attention  to  a  large  herd  of  antelopes. 
We  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  directly 
in  our  course,  we  saw  thousands  of  the  beautiful 
creatures  feeding  upon  the  grass  and  moving  about 
the  prairie  with  graceful  freedom.  We  continued 
on  our  way,  watching  the  herd  until  we  were  within 
half  a  mile  of  them,  when,  instantly,  and  in  the 
most  mysterious  manner,  the  whole  herd  vanished ; 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  283 

not  one  was  to  be  seen,  although,  but  a  moment  be- 
fore, the  herd  had  covered  thousands  of  acres.  By 
the  aid  of  our  field  glass  we  beheld  only  an  exten- 
sive village  of  prairie  dogs,  which,  by  the  phenomo- 
non  of  the  mirage,  had  been  magnified  into  an  in- 
numerable herd  of  antelopes.  Such  phenomena  are 
of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  West,  and  many  thrill- 
ing instances  have  been  related  by  frontiersmen — 
sometimes  of  extreme  suffering  and  loss  of  hfe,  oc- 
casioned by  the  mirage. 

Crossing  the  south  fork  of  the  Cheyenne  Eiver, 
we  entered  the  Black  Hills,  from  the  south,  about 
fifty  miles  west  of  Harney's  Peak — the  highest  point 
in  the  region.  These  hills  were  formerly  supposed 
to  be  an  extensive  mountain  desert.  A  late  writer 
says:  "The  extensive  region  known  as  the  Black 
Hills,  lying  mostly  in  Dakota,  but  extending  into 
Wyoming,  is  likely  to  prove  greatly  productive  of 
gold,  and  is  certainly  rich  in  timber  and  general  ag- 
ricultural resources." 

In  general  appearance,  we  find  here  a  marked  re- 
semblance to  the  Osage  country  of  Missouri,  except 
that  instead  of  the  sparsely  timbered  region  of  the 
Osage,  we  have  here  extensive  forests  of  the  most 
valuable  timber.  Fir,  pine,  cedar,  and  many  of  the 
hard  woods  are  exceedingly  abundant.  The  soil  is 
of  great  depth  and  unsurpassed  fertility,  and  the 
•oHmate,  as  already  remarked,  is  singularly  health- 
ful. The  general  direction  of  the  range  is  from 
southwest  to  northeast,  and  it  embraces  about  six 
thousand  square  miles  of  territory.  It  is  reported 
that  rich  deposits  of  gold  underhe  the  western  part 
-of  the  range  which  extends  into  Wyoming,  though 


284  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

at  the  time  of  our  visit  there,  miners  had  been  pros- 
pecting for  some  time  without  great  success.  Gold 
had  been  found,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
encourage  mining,  and  the  whole  country  being  in- 
cluded in  the  reservation  of  the  Sioux  Indians,  who 
persistently  resist  any  encroachment  upon  their  ter- 
ritory, miners  generally  do  not  care  to  risk  their 
scalps  for  the  small  amount  of  filthy  lucre  they 
might  expect,  under  some  conditions,  to  obtain.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  an  improved  system  of 
mining,  under  the  encouragement  of  government 
countenance  and  protection,  would  develop  as  rich 
mining  regions  here  as  are  found  in  Montana  or 
other  sections  of  the  great  northwest. 

Passing  eastward  along  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  hiUs,  we  came  to  Bridgers'  Spring,  where  the 
water  gushes  in  great  force  from  the  hmestone  rock 
that  rises  abruptly  at  the  terminus  of  a  deep  glen. 
From  a  perpendicular  ledge,  fully  seventy-five  feet- 
high,  the  water  pours  from  an  aperture  in  the  rock, 
about  six  inches  in  diameter  and  thirteen  feet  from 
the  ground.  The  stream  spouts  with  such  force 
that  it  falls  into  a  basin  fifteen  feet  from  the  wall. 
Bridgers,  a  noted  trapper  of  this  region,  had  estab- 
Ushed  his  camp  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  spring,, 
and  "fool  like,"  as  he  expressed  it,  went  one  morn- 
ing to  the  place  for  a  bath,  without  taking  his  gun. 
After  he  had  refreshed  himself  at  the  pure  fountain 
and  turned  to  depart,  he  was  astonished  to  find 
himseh  face  to  face  with  two  stalwart  Indians,  who, 
Hke  himself,  were  unarmed.  It  became  apparent- 
to  Bridgers  that  there  was  to  be  a  hand-to-hand 
struggle  for  life,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  sur- 
prise of  the  two  Indians,  he  sprang  with  the  force- 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         285 

and  ferocity  of  a  tiger  upon  the  foremost  and  sent 
him  reeling  to  the  earth,  from  which  he  never  rose. 
The  second  Indian  was  a  more  powerful  antagonist, 
and  Bridgers  describes  the  struggle  as  the  "most 
interesting"  he  was  ever  engaged  in.  The  second 
gladiator  was  sent  to  join  his  comrade  in  the  ''happy 
hunting  grounds"  over  the  river  Styx. 

At  the  foot  of  Harney's  Peak  we  came  to  Bridg- 
•  ers's  Cave,  the  entrance  to  which  is  through  a  trap- 
hke  opening  in  the  top  of  a  large  rock  that  looks 
Hke  the  ''blossom"  of  iron  ore.  Descending  about 
twenty-five  feet,  we  reached  the  floor  of  the  cavern. 
Here,  by  the  light  of  torches,  we  found  a  room  of 
immense  extent.  The  roof  of  the  cave  was  about 
ten  feet  above  us,  and  composed  wholly  of  quartz 
rock.  In  the  light  of  our  torches  it  sparkled  like 
myriads  of  diamonds.  Following  a  branch  of  the 
cave,  leading  to  the  south  west,  we  found  another 
passage  connecting  with  the  outer  world.  In  this 
part  of  the  cave,  Bridgers,  in  passing  through,  came 
suddenly  upon  a  large  bear ;  the  animal  paused  for  a 
moment  directly  in  the  path,  uttering  a  deep  growl 
that  echoed  through  the  passages  tiU  the  cavern 
seemed  the  abode  of  hundreds  of  wild  beasts  growl- 
ing in  concert.  It  was  not  an  agreeable  position 
•even  to  a  man  with  iron  nerves,  but  Bridgers  was 
equal  to  the  occasion,  although  armed  only  with  a 
hunting  knife.  Escape  by  flight  was  out  of  the 
question,  and  the  trapper  thinking  to  frighten  the 
animal  from  his  position,  began  a  solo  of  yells  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  whole  band  of  Sioux, 
the  while  leaping  about  and  brandishing  his  flaming 
torch  in  the  wildest  manner.    Whoever  has  heard 


286  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

Forest  in  Metamora^  or  ever  heard  a  band  of  savages 
rushing  to  a  conflict,  can  imagine  the  vocal  exer- 
cises of  Bridgers  on  this  occasion.  His  performance 
was  a  success,  and  the  bear  quitted  the  cave  Hke  a 
whipped  cur. 

Turning  to  the  south,  at  a  distance  of  a  hundred 
yards,  the  walls  of  the  cave  were  so  contracted  that 
with  difficulty  we  passed  along  an  avenue,  leading 
into  a  spacious  chamber,  named  the  "Dome,"  from 
the  beautiful  arched  shape  of  the  ceihng,  which 
rises  in  the  centre  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet.  The 
beautiful  crystals  of  quartz  that  everywhere  project 
from  the  walls  in  triangular  shapes,  reflecting  a& 
they  do,  the  hues  of  the  rainbow,  constitute  a  scene 
of  magnificence,  far  exceeding  the  adornment  of  pa- 
lace or  cathedral.  Leaving  the  ''Dome,"  we  turned 
to  the  right  and  entered  a  passage  that  led  us  into 
another  beautiful  room — ''The  Chamber  of  the  Foun- 
tain"— circular  in  form,  and  about  forty  feet  in 
diameter.  In  the  centre  of  the  floor  is  a  depression 
or  basin,  about  eight  feet  in  diameter,  in  which  there 
is  a  clear  and  cool  fountain. 

Returning  to  the  entrance,  we  visited  the  home 
of  Bridgers.  It  is  a  room  about  eighteen  feet  in 
diameter,  and  remark§;ble  chiefly  for  the  vast  quan- 
tity of  furs  and  skins  of  wild  animals  that  are  stored 
within  it. 

The  trapping  season  begins  in  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember and  continues  through  all  the  months  that 
contain  the  letter  "r,"  though  furs  taken  in  mid- 
summer are  said  to  be  superior  in  quahty.  As  soon 
as  the  season  for  trapping  ends,  the  trapper  on  the 
Missouri  and  its  tributaries  begins  to  construct  his. 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  287 

raft,  upon  which  he  usually  transports  his  furs  to  a 
suitable  market — that  he  may  have  it  in  readiness  to 
launch  upon  the  first  favorable  rise  in  the  waters, 
which  usually  occurs  about  the  first  of  June. 

Leaving  Bridgers  sole  monarch  of  an  extensive 
region  west  of  Harney's  Peak,  we  wended  our  way 
to  the  very  foot  of  the  grandly  picturesque  pile  that 
rears  its  proud  summit  to  the  regions  of  cloud-land. 
Finding  a  suitable  grazing  place  for  our  horses,  we 
then  began  the  toilsome  ascent  of  Harney's  Peak. 
Upward  we  went,  winding  our  way  carefully  around 
numerous  projecting  crags,  climbing  cautiously 
over  heaps  of  fragmentary  rocks,  or  clinging  to 
some  stunted  cedar  that  had  dared  to  maintain  its 
existence  in  this  exalted  position,  despite  the  bar- 
renness of  the  rocks  upon  which  it  had  estabhshed 
itself,  and  the  general  war  of  the  elements  that  is 
continually  waged  against  it.  Finally,  w^e  reached 
the  summit,  and  the  first  glance  of  the  grand  and 
delightful  panorama  that  was  spread  out  before  us 
repaid  us  a  thousand  fold  for  all  the  fatigue  of 
the  journey.  North  of  our  position  and  covered 
with  stately  forests,  the  low  hills  extend  in  an  end- 
less succession  until  they  are  lost  in  the  blue  sky ; 
while  here  and  there  a  towering  peak  rears  its  crest 
defiantly,  the  gray  summit  m  striking  contrast  to 
the  dark  green  of  the  forests  below.  Eastward,  the 
South  Fork  winds  its  tortuous  course,  appearing 
and  disappearing  among  the  tall  trees  that  fringe 
its  banks,  coursing  through  chasms  and  canons  of 
vast  depth,  and  steadfastly  onward  till  it  finally 
unites  with  the  broad  Missouri.  Southward,  the 
dark  green  fohage  of  the  timber  land  gives  place  ta 


•288  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

the  lighter  hue  of  the  grand  prairie,  which  rolls 
away  in  gentle  undulations  to  the  setting  sun — a 
limitless  field  of  perennial  verdure  and  beauty.  In 
the  centre  of  this  expansive  meadow,  the  dark  vale 
of  the  Mauvaises  Terres  is  seen,  silent  and  desolate 
hke  the  shadow  of  a  dark  cloud.  Moses  on  Mount 
Nebo,  with  his  eyes  resting  upon  the  paradise  of 
the  Hebrews,  did  not  look  upon  a  land  more  beauti- 
ful, a  scene  more  enchanting,  than  that  within  the 
scope  of  our  vision.  Beautiful  land  of  Dakota, 
which  will  yet  be  the  delightful  home  of  milhons  of 
freemen ! 

Without  accident  we  accomplished  the  perilous 
-descent,  and  after  spending  another  day  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  lofty  Peak,  took  up  our  line  of  march 
towards  the  East.  Eecrossing  the  South  Fork,  we 
followed  the  course  of  the  Cheyenne  river,  which,  a 
large  portion  of  the  way,  led  through  a  fertile  and 
beautiful  valley,  until  we  reached  the  bank  of  the 
broad  and  rapid  waters  of  the  Missouri,  and  again 
embarked  in  the  brave  little  steamer  that,  after 
panting  hard  to  reach  the  designated  point,  arrived 
almost  at  the  hour  we  reached  the  river. 

The  waters  of  the  Missouri  become  less  muddy  as 
we  ascend  the  streara,  till  finally  they  become  as 
olear  as  Lake  Superior,  and  the  tiniest  fish  may  be 
seen  swimming  in  the  depths  below. 

Moving  on  up  the  river,  we  pass  the  mouths  of 
several  smaller  streams,  when  our  course  deviates 
from  a  northern  direction,  and  we  begin  to  swing 
gradually  around  to  the  west.  This  point  in  the 
river  is  known  as  the  "Great  Southwestern  Bend." 
There  are  several  forts  located  in  this  region,  at  one 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  289 

of  which  our  Kansas  friends,  Messrs.  Lawrence  and 
Forristall,  landed ;  but  after  transacting  the  busi- 
ness upon  which  they  came,  rejoined  our  party. 

There  is  a  great  diversity  of  scenery  on  the  banks 
of  the  Upper  Missouri.  As  we  move  smoothly 
along  on  the  bosom  of  the  great  river,  the  scene  is 
one  continual  dissolving  view.  Prairie  and  forest, 
forest  and  cliff,  and  cascades  in  tributary  streams, 
succeed  each  other.  In  one  place,  we  see  an  Indian 
peering  cautiously  over  the  tall  cliff  that  overhangs 
iihe  river ;  in  another,  we  descry  a  large  band  of  In- 
dians on  the  open  prairie,  performing  their  daring 
feats  on  horse-back;  occasionally  we  get  a  glimpse 
of  a  gigantic  elk  in  the  timber,  or  a  large  bear  mov- 
ing lazily  out  of  the  water  and  toward  the  thick  un- 
derbrush ;  herds  of  deer  are  frequently  seen  upon 
the  high,  verdure-crowned  banks,  gazing  with  won- 
der-eyes upon  the  approaching  steamer ;  large  flocks 
of  birds,  perched  upon  the  huge  limb  of  a  grand  old 
forest  tree,  that  offer  a  ready  target  for  the  sports- 
man, are  often  seen;  and  here  and  there,  by  day  or 
night,  the  scene  is  either  novel  or  sublime. 

We  are  nearing  the  western  boundary  of  Dakota, 
that  attractive  region  of  which  the  reader  expects  a 
more  extended  notice,  and  that  demand  I  will  try  to 
answer. 


19 


290  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS   OF   AMEEICA, 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 

Dakota — The  Red  River  Country — Large  Farms — The  Dakota  System 
of  Farming — The  Lumber  Interests — Bismark — Emigration. 

Until  within  a  few  years  little  was  known  of 
the  resources  or  general  character  of  the  Territory 
of  Dakota,  and  it  was  regarded  as  uninhabitable; 
but  of  all  our  Territories  there  is  none  that  offers 
greater  inducements  to  settlers  than  this.  It  is 
more  than  three  times  as  large  as  New  York,  and 
about  four  times  the  area  of  Ohio,  embracing  150,932 
square  miles,  being  nearly  400  miles  square,  and  hav- 
ing more  acres  of  arable  land  than  any  other  State 
in  the  Union,  except,  possibly  Texas.  It  extends 
from  the  Ked  Eiver — the  western  boundary  of  Min- 
nesota— on  the  east,  to  the  confluence  of  the  Yellow- 
stone and  Missouri  on  the  west — from  the  97th  to 
the  104th  degrees,  west  longitude ;  and  from  the 
British  Possessions  on  the  north,  to  Nebraska  on  the 
south. 

The  course  of  the  Ked  Eiver  from  Traverse  Lake 
in  Dakota,  to  Lake  Winnipeg,  is  almost  due  north. 
There  are  a  dozen  large  rivers  and  their  tributaries, 
and  several  small  lakes  in  the  Territory.  The  only 
mountains  are  the  Black  Hills,  in  the  southwestern 
part. 

Dakota  is  emphatically  an  agricultural  region  of 
unsurpassed  fertihty,  and  the  extent  to  which  this 
industry  is  carried  on  would  astonish  a  New  Eng- 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  291 

lander.  As  the  reader  is  aware,  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Eailroad  traverses  this  wonderfully  productive 
Territory.  The  great  staple  of  the  region  through 
which  the  railroad  extends,  as,  indeed,  of  the 
entire  Territory  so  far  as  it  has  been  settled,  is 
wheat.  In  1879,  one  single  wheat-field,  not  far  from 
the  Missouri  River,  embraced  an  area  of  twenty 
thousand  acres  and  yielded  two  hundred  thousand 
bushels  of  wheat.  A  farm  thirteen  miles  from  Bis- 
mark  contained  12,000  acres,  of  which  1,500  were 
under  cultivation ;  another  contained  7,000  acres,  of 
which  1,100  were  improved,  and  the  list  might  be 
continued.  Large  farms  here  seem  to  be  quite  the 
fashion.  Bishop  Peck,  in  speaking  of  the  resources- 
of  the  Territory,  says :  "  Imagine  a  vast  plain,  some- 
what undulating,  yourself  in  the  midst  of  it,  and 
splendid  farms  and  unbroken  farming  lands  extend- 
ing to  the  horizon  in  aU  directions,  and  then  think 
two  thousand  miles  on  beyond — nearly  every  acre 
sandy  loam,  vegetable  mold  or  alluvial  deposit,  from 
two  to  six  feet  deep,  the  greater  proportion  of  the 
whole  richer  and  finer  than  the  gardens  of  the  East, 
and  you  will  have  some  idea  of  the  productiveness 
of  the  Northwest." 

The  very  large  farms  are  an  evil.  They  have  gen- 
erally been  obtained  by  railroad  bonds  in  the  hands 
of  sharp-eyed  parties  when  the  Northern  Pacific 
suspended.  The  large  and  increasing  number  of 
small  farms — from  160  to  5,000  acres — are  more 
hopeful  as  to  population,  bringing  into  neighbor- 
hood the  large  immigration  and  advancing  all  the 
forms  of  civilization — the  great  hope  of  the  country; 
while  the  magnates  on  the  ten,  twenty  and  thirty 


^2  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF  AMEEICA, 

"thousand  acres  will  imitate  the  manorial  greatness 
of  the  old  world,  demonstrate  on  a  grand  scale  the 
capabilities  of  the  soil,  and  for  a  generation  hold 
large  control  over  the  social  and  civil  interests  of 
the  country.  In  the  days  of  their  early  descend- 
ants these  vast  estates  will  be  broken  up  and  por- 
"itioned  off,  for  the  good  of  the  greatest  number. 
A  writer  in  Harper's,  says  of  this  vast  Territory: 
"^'In  1869  we  rode  over  this  former  hunting  ground 
t)f  the  Sioux,  where,  through  by-gone  ages,  they 
chased  the  buffalo  and  fought  the  Chippewas.  The 
valley  of  the  Red  River  was  a  vast  expanse.  No 
hill,  no  undulation,  nothing  but  the  fringes  of  trees 
along  the  streams,  bounded  the  sight.  It  was  a 
reach  of  prairie  unbroken  by  the  plow.  The  song  of 
meadow  lark,  plover  and  curlew  and  other  fowl, 
alone  broke  the  solemn  and  oppressive  stillness  of 
the  solitude.  At  Greorgetown,  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  had  erected  a  house,  and  two  or  three 
settlers  had  set  up  their  cabins  on  the  banks  of  the 
river.  Now  the  locomotive  is  speeding  its  way 
across  the  Yalley  on  to  the  Missouri,  and  beyond  to 
the  Yellowstone,  down  the  valley  to  Winnipeg,  and 
soon  it  will  thunder  far  away  in  the  distant  north- 
land.  Farm-houses  dot  the  landscape,  towns  have 
sprung  up,  and  marvelous  the  change;  in  1869  a 
furrowless  plain,  in  1879  a  harvest  of  eight  million 
bushels  of  grain.  In  Dakota,  a  farmer  may  mount 
his  sulky  plow,  ride  till  noon,  if  his  acres  extend  so 
far,  and  reach  home  at  night,  with  a  returning  fur- 
row. When  we  reflect  that  the  Red  River  Yalley 
alone,  if  under  complete  cultivation,  has  a  capacity 
for  the  production  of  five  hundred  millions  bushels 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  293 

of  grain,  what  may  we  not  predict  of  the  capacities 
of  this  summer  wheat-field,  equal  in  area  to  the 
States  of  the  Union  east  of  the  Mississippi." 

Farming  is  carried  on  very  differently  in  Dakota 
from  the  manner  practiced  in  the  Eastern  States. 
Instead  of  one  team  with  a  single  plow,  the  Dakota 
farmer  calls  in  requisition  15  or  20  gang  plows  with 
powerful  teams,  managed  by  a  man  riding  on  a  sulky, 
with  furrows  so  wide,  taken  altogether,  that  he 
would  plow  an  area  equal  to  an  entire  farm,  of  the 
Eastern  pattern,  every  day,  and  a  tract  equal  to  the 
entire  State  of  Ehode  Island,  were  its  1,300  square 
miles  of  surface  all  arable  land,  in  less  time  than  the 
New  England  farmer  requires  to  plow  his  little 
farm.  Ten  to  twenty  teams  follow  each  other 
around  a  field  of  wheat,  drawing  reaping  machines, 
which  cut  an  immense  swath,  binding  every  straw 
as  they  go,  and  pushing  bundles  off  from  each  ma- 
chine so  fast  that  you  cannot  count  them.  Thresh- 
ing and  cleaning  are  equally  wonderful.  Large  ma- 
chines are  worked  by  steam,  and  the  straw  is  used 
for  fuel — the  machine  pulling  it  in  and  feeding  the 
flame  with  its  own  fingers — while  the  pure  wheat 
rolls  out  so  fast  that  you  can  hardly  put  it  into 
sacks,  when  it  is  moved  off  to  market  in  bulk. 

The  valuation  of  the  machinery  employed  in  this 
region  amounts  to  millions  of  dollars  annually,  and 
will  continue  to  increase  with  the  growth  of  the 
country.  Its  manufacture  adds  to  the  wealth  of 
the  East,  for  the  greater  part  of  it  is  made  there. 

The  reports  of  starvation  in  foreign  countries  are 
in  strange  contrast  with  the  facts  and  figures  con- 
cerning the  abundance  with  which  the  wheat  fields 
of  Dakota  are  crowned. 


294  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

It  will  be  interesting  to  note  the  destination  of 
all  this  wealth  of  grain.  In  MinneapoHs,  Minn., 
alone,  as  it  appears  from  the  statistics,  there  are 
twenty-two  mills  that  grind  from  13,000  to  15,000 
barrels  of  flour  every  day,  requiring  about  eight 
millions  bushels  of  wheat  per  year.  When  the  miUs, 
now  in  process  of  completion — perhaps  in  1880,  and 
surely  before  the  winter  of  1881 — not  less  than  twelve 
millions  bushels  of  wheat  per  year  will  be  made  into 
flour  in  that  city  alone.  There  are  now  five  hundred 
miles  of  direct  line  of  railroad,  from  Duluth,  on  Lake 
Superior,  to  Bismark,  Dakota,  with  great  and  ex- 
tending branches  added,  and  in  September  and 
October  the  trains  are  literally  burdened  with  wheat, 
eastward  bound,  with  markets  in  Chicago,  Cincin- 
nati, St.  Louis,  New  Orleans,  Buffalo,  New  York 
and  Europe.  It  is  now  but  eighteen  days  from  Min- 
neapolis to  Liverpool,  and  when  the  canal  is  com- 
pleted, ships  for  the  old  world  will  be  loaded  from 
the  wharves  of  Chicago.  This  grand  result  must 
come  within  five  years,  as  must  also  the  completion 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  Eailroad,  to  Puget  Sound, 
bringing  the  vast  tonnage  of  the  North  Pacific 
Ocean  from  Asia  directly  across  our  northwest. 

The  grazing  lands  of  Dakota  are  unsurpassed. 
Yast  herds  of  cattle  graze  here,  even  during  the 
winter,  and  all  herders  have  to  do  is  to  ^'back  fire," 
so  that  the  grass,  which  dries  and  becomes  hke  hay, 
will  not  be  destroyed. 

Lumber  from  the  forests  of  the  North  is  bringing 
millions  of  dollars  into  this  great  and  promising 
Territory.  The  grand  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  Minn., 
utihzed  as  a  water  power,  gave  in  1878,  the  enormous 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE   WEST.  295 

quantity  of  130,275,000  feet  of  lumber ;  and  this  is 
annually  increasing.  The  upper  Mississippi  and 
other  rivers  are  literally  crowded  with  logs,  feeding 
other  mills,  and  making  an  estimate  of  the  lumber 
trade  of  the  Northwest  incalculably  large. 

All  other  industries  are  prosperous  and  achieving 
the  grandest  results,  and  it  may  be  safely  predicted 
that,  within  the  next  decade,  Dakota  will  be  as  popu- 
lous as  is  Kansas  to-day. 

Prominent  among  the  towns  and  settlements  of 
Dakota  is  Bismark — the  germ  of  a  great  city  in  the 
near  future.  It  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Missouri,  and  was  for  a  time  noted  as 
the  temporary  western  terminus  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  which  is  now  being  rapidly  ex- 
tended westward.  The  history  of  Bismark  begun 
with  the  completion  of  the  road  to  this  point  in  1873. 
It  is  already  of  importance  and  will  doubtless  be  the 
great  city  on  this  great  national  highway,  and  the 
terminus  of  one  or  two  other  great  lines  of  railway 
from  the  northwest ;  it  is  also  safe  to  predict  that  it 
will  be  the  capital  of  the  northern  division  of  the 
Territory,  when  it  is  divided  on  an  east  and  west 
line,  which  is  being  advocated  by  different  sections 
of  the  Territory. 

It  is  a  fact,  perhaps  not  generally  known,  that  the 
Missouri  river  is  navigable  for  twelve  hundred 
miles  above  this  point ;  there  were  in  1879  not  less 
than  25  steamers  of  the  capacity  of  from  350  to 
1200  tons,  engaged  in  the  river  trade. 

The  growth  and  prosperity  of  Bismark  have  been 
marked  and  peculiar.  The  principal  source  of  its 
commercial  prosperity  has  been  the  very  extensive 


296  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

overland  and  river  business  from  here  to  the  Black 
Hills,  and  to  the  several  military  posts  and  Indian 
agencies  west  and  north. 

Although  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  most  fertile- 
agricultural  region,  httle  was  attempted  in  the  way 
of  cultivation  of  crops  until  1879,  as  other  depart- 
ments of  industry,  trade  and  enterprise  were  highly 
remunerative,  hut  the  influx  of  emigration  will 
within  a  year  or  two,  at  longest,  cause  the  fertile 
fields  adjacent  to  yield  abundantly  their  wealth  of 
produce.     Bismark  has  a  population  of  about  3,000. 

Statistics  show  a  continued  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  British  subjects  arriving  in  this  country. 
Fully  one-third  of  the  number  are  from  Canada, 
and  another  third  from  England,  where  there  has 
been  a  general  prostration  of  agricultural  industries. 
Nearly  all  immigrants  from  Great  Britain  bring 
money  to  purchase  land,  and  are  coming  in  colonies 
prepared  to  start  thriving  communities  in  the  West^ 
on  the  public  lands.  Naturally  enough,  they  go  ta 
the  Northwest,  Dakota  and  Minnesota  receiving  the 
majority  of  them.  Of  the  immigration  from  Great 
Britain,  but  a  very  small  per  centage  remain  in  the 
East  or  in  cities. 

The  immigration  to  the  United  States,  in  1880^ 
will  approximate  250,000 — landing  in  the  City  of 
New  York.  It  is  especially  stimulated  by  the  des- 
titution in  Ireland.  The  German  military  conscrip- 
tion operates,  in  like  manner,  to  create  discontent  at 
home  and  longings  for  the  free,  broad  acres  of  the 
new  world. 

Of  course,  at  the  present  time,  the  Territory  of 
Dakota  is  sparsely  populated.    It  is  said  that  a. 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  297 

gentleman  not  long  since  made  a  considerable  jour- 
ney across  the  prairies  of  Dakota,  and  met  only  one 
man  on  the  whole  trip ;  and  this  man  said  he  was- 
*' just  stepping  over  "  to  his  neighbor's  farm,  to  make 
a  friendly  call.  The  closest  observation  with  a  field 
glass  of  great  power  could  not  reveal  the  outlines 
of  a  house  anywhere,  and,  to  the  question  how  long 
he  intended  to  keep  "stepping"  before  he  reached 
his  neighbor's  place,  the  answer  was — '^  Well,  I  am 
most  there  now,  I've  only  six  miles  to  go  yet,  but 
last  spring  we  had'nt  any  very  near  neighbors." 

Over  this  region  of  country,  extending  as  far  to 
the  North  as  Athabasca  Lake,  large  enough  for  ten 
or  twelve  States  the  size  of  New  York,  Nature  has 
given  a  climate  suited  to  the  culture  of  summer 
wheat.  There  are  vast  reaches  which  in  coming 
years  will  furnish  rich  pasturage  to  flocks  and  herds^ 
as  they  now  do  to  the  buffalo.  It  is  a  region  from 
which  the  buffalo  never  departs ;  it  is  his  summer  and 
winter  haunt.  Where  buffaloes  can  find  pasturage, 
men  can  live  and  carry  on  successful  husbandry. 
Although  the  winters  of  Dakota  are  as  cold  as  in 
Central  New  York,  there  is  far  less  snow.  By  the 
middle  of  March  or  the  first  week  in  April,  the 
ground  has  thawed  sufficiently  to  permit  farming. 
Since  the  first  furrow  was  turned  in  the  Eed  Eiver 
Valley  in  1870,  there  has  been  no  failure  of  crops 
from  drought,  rains,  bhght,  mildew,  or  rust.  The- 
region  is  one  of  the  fairest  on  the  continent. 


■298  LITE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 


CHAPTEK  XIX. 

The  Upper  Mississippi — Natural  Scenery  of  Minnesota — Beautiful  Lakes 
and  Rivers — Climate — Chief  Cities — Wisconsin — Features  of  the 
Country — Wonderful  Earth  Mounds — A  Visit  to  the  State  Capital 
and  other  Cities — A  Scrap  of  History. 

Crossing  the  Eed  River,  the  traveler  enters  Min- 
nesota, which  has  an  area  of  83,531  square  miles. 
The  State  is  centrally  located  midway  between 
the  North  and  South  Poles,  midway  between  Hud- 
son Bay  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  midway  be- 
tween the  coast  ranges  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific, 
and  on  the  height  of  land  of  the  continent.  From 
Minnesota  descend  three  water-sheds — from  the 
north,  the  Red  River  system ;  from  the  south,  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri;  and  from  the  east,  the  St. 
Lawrence  system.  The  soil  is  porous,  and  moisture 
is  quickly  absorbed.  The  land  is  rolling,  presenting 
a  natural  drainage.  The  State  is  so  far  from  the 
Atlantic  that  the  east  winds  scarcely  reach  it, 
while  the  warm  winds  of  the  Pacific,  deprived  of  their 
moisture  by  the  Rocky  Mountains,  give  it  an  early 
spring,  with  but  httle  moisture.  It  has  but  25 j 
inches,  during  the  year,  in  the  form  of  rain  or  snow, 
with  healthful  influences  all  around.  There  is  no 
spot  in  the  State  especially  favored,  but  for  hundreds 
of  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi  River  the  invalid 
will  find  an  immunity  from  Consumption. 

During  the  winter,  in  Minnesota,  the  thermome- 
ter often  ranges  from  18  to  20  degrees  below  zero, 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE   WEST.  299 

l3ut  no  sucti  intensity  of  cold  is  felt,  so  dry  and  pure 
is  the  atmosphere.  Persons  who  would  not  think 
of  walking  out  in  their  native  states  with  the  ther- 
mometer at  zero,  go  abroad  with  impunity,  in  this 
climate,  with  the  mercury  fifteen  or  twenty  below. 
In  fact  the  State  has  a  pecuhar  chmate,  differing, 
in  some  respects,  from  that  of  any  other  part  of  the 
continent. 

The  surface  of  the  country  is  diversified  with  roll- 
ing prairies,  vast  belts  of  timber,  oak  openings, 
meadows,  waterfalls,  wooded  ravines  and  lofty  bluffs, 
w^hich  impart  variety,  grandeur  and  picturesque 
be^ty  to  the  scenery.  The  Mississippi  Eiver  rises 
in  Lake  Itasca,  a  very  small  body  of  water  in  the 
northern  part  of  Minnesota  and  flows  south-easterly 
through  the  State  797  miles,  134  of  which  forms  its 
eastern  boundary.  It  is  navigable  for  large  boats  to 
St.  Paul  and  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  for 
smaller  boats,  for  a  considerable  distance.  The 
season  of  navigation  usually  opens  about  the  middle 
of  April,  and  closes  about  the  middle  of  November. 
The  river  not  unfrequently  remains  open  till  the 
first  of  December. 

The  Minnesota  River,  the  source  of  which  is 
among  the  Coteau  des  Prairies,  in  Dakota,  flows 
from  Big  Stone  Lake,  on  the  western  boundary  of 
the  State,  a  distance  of  nearly  500  miles  through  the 
heart  of  the  southwestern  part  of  the  State,  and 
empties  into  the  Mississippi  at  Fort  Snelling,  five 
miles  above  St.  Paul.  It  is  navigable,  at  high 
stages  of  water,  to  the  Yellow  Medicine,  238  miles 
above  its  mouth.  The  St.  Croix  River,  rising  in 
Wisconsin,  near  Lake  Superior,  forms  a  part  of  the 


300  Lli^E   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

eastern  boundary  of  the  State.  It  flows  into  the 
Mississippi  nearly  opposite  Hastings,  and  is  naviga- 
ble to  Taylor's  Falls,  about  50  miles.  It  penetrates 
the  pineries  and  furnishes  immense  water-power 
along  its  course.  The  Red  River  is  navigable  from 
Breckenridge,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bois  de  Sioux 
River, to  Hudson's  Bay;  the  Saskatchewan,  a  tribu- 
tary of  the  Red  River,  is  also  navigable,  thus  prom- 
ising an  active  commercial  trade  from  this  vast  re- 
gion, when  it  shall  have  become  settled,  via  the  St.. 
Paul  and  Pacific  railroad,  which  connects  the  navi- 
gable waters  of  the  Red  River  with  those  of  the 
Mississippi. 

Among  the  more  important  of  the  almost  innumer- 
able small  streams  are  Rum  River,  valuable  for  lum- 
bering, Yermillon  River  which  is  full  of  the  most 
beautiful  cascades;  the  Crow,  Blue  Earth,  Root, 
Sauk,LeSueur,  Zumbro,  Cottonwood,  Long  Prairie,. 
Redwood,  Warajou,  Pejuta  Ziza,  Mauja,  Wakau, 
Buffalo,  Wild  Rice,  Plum,  Sand  Hill,  Clearwater, 
Red  Lake,  Black  Thief,  Red  Cedar  and  Des  Moines 
Rivers.  There  are  more  Indian  names  of  rivers, 
lakes  and  towns  in  Minnesota  than  in  any  other 
State  in  the  Union.  The  St.  Louis  River,  a  large 
stream  flowing  into  Lake  Superior,  navigable  for 
twenty  miles  from  its  lake  outlet,  furnishes  a  water 
power  at  its  falls  which  is  said  to  equal  that  of  the 
falls  of  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Anthony. 

Lake  Superior  exteflds  along  the  eastern  boun- 
dary of  the  State  for  a  distance  of  about  170  miles.. 
It  is  indented  with  many  beautiful  harbors. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  the  State  is  chiefly  copper^ 
iron  and  coal.     The  soil  is  well  adapted  to  agricul- 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  301 

"tural  pursuits.  It  is  of  a  dark,  calcareous,  sandy 
loam,  containing  an  intermixture  of  clay,  abound- 
ing in  mineral  salts  and  in  ingredients  derived  from 
ihe  accumulation  of  decomposed  vegetable  matter, 
for  long  ages  of  growth  and  decay. 

The  word  "  Minnesota "  signifies,  in  the  Indian 
tongue,  "sky-tinted  water."  In  1689,  the  French 
took  possession  of  the  country  and  erected  a  fort 
on  the  shore  of  Lake  Pepin.  "In  1695  a  second 
fort  was  built  on  an  island  in  the  Mississippi  just 
below  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix;  another  fort  was 
built  on  the  Minnesota  the  following  year.  The 
fur  traders  now  came  into  the  Territory  in  great 
numbers,  but  no  permanent  settlement  was  made. 
In  1763  Capt.  Carver  of  Connecticut,  visited  Min- 
nesota and  pubhshed  a  description  of  the  country. 
In  1800  that  part  of  Minnesota  east  of  the  Missis- 
sipppi  was  a  part  of  Indiana.  After  the  Louisiana 
purchase  (1803)  of  the  lands  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
Port  Snelling  was  erected  and  garrisoned  by  the 
United  States.  The  Territory  was  already  the  seat 
of  an  active  trade  with  the  Indians  and  the  govern- 
ment had  some  trouble  with  the  traders.  In  1820 
Minnesota  was  explored  by  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  and 
three  years  later  by  Maj.  Long.  A  third  exploring 
party  was  sent  out  in  1832,  under  H.  E.  Schoolcraft, 
v^ho  discovered  the  source  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver." 
In  1842  the  town  of  St.  Paul  was  founded  and 
settlers  from  various  parts  of  the  country  began  to 
arrive.  Minnesota  was  organized  as  a  Territory  in 
1849.  At  that  date  haH  of  the  land  within  its  bor- 
der was  owned  by  the  Indians.  In  1858  Minnesota 
V7as  admitted  as  a  State. 


302 

The  chief  towns  and  cities  are  located  on  the 
Mississippi  and  are  Winona,  Wabashaw,  Lake  City^ 
Eed  Wing,  Hastings,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis,  St. 
Anthony,  Dayton,  Monticello  and  St.  Clond,  but 
other  places  are  rapidly  assuming  importance. 

St.  Paul  is  fast  becoming  an  immense  manufac- 
turing city,  and  the  centre  of  a  trade  both  thriving 
and  lucrative. 

Mr.  Barstow  has  permitted  me  to  glance  over  the 
leaves  of  his  diary  of  American  Travel,  and  to  make 
an  extract  from  his  notes  of  a  trip  on  the  upper 
Mississippi,  from  Galena  to  St.  Paul. 

^'The  boat  shot  boldly  out  upon  the  Mississippi 
on  the  way  to  Minnesota.  But  how  shall  I  describe 
the  pleasant  surprise  I  experienced  in  the  panorama, 
of  nature's  living  beauty  that  passed  before  us?  It 
was  a  delightful  moonlight  night,  in  August,  a  few 
days  after  leaving  our  exploring  party  on  the  plains 
of  Kansas,  for  the  purpose  of  making  this  trip, 
having  been  enchanted  with  the  river  scenery  from 
this  point  to  St.  Louis,  and  having  an  irresistible 
desire  to  trace  the  beautiful  river  to  its  source 
in  the  distant  North.  The  recent  rains  had  given 
to  the  summer  verdure  the  beauty  of  Spring; 
and  everywhere  before  us  the  mighty  river,  now 
swollen  by  the  rivulets  of  the  vast  water  sheds, 
kissed  the  foliage  of  the  shores  and  murmured 
around  innumerable  islands,  and  these  we  saw 
scattered  along  the  broad  river  for  four  hundred 
miles  in  diversified  positions  and  varying  light  and 
shade,  all  the  way  from  Galena  to  St.  Anthony. 
No  sooner  had  we  passed  one  group,  than  we  were 
in  the  midst  of  another.     Meeting  the  islands  at 


AND   WONDEBS    OF   THE   WEST.  30^ 

almost  every  turn,  gave  the  pleasant  illusion  of  a 
sail  through  innumerable  picturesque  lakes.  Some- 
times we  were  gliding  by  frowning  bluffs  on  either 
side.  Nothing  can  surpass  the  grandeur  of  the  upper 
Mississippi. 

"  It  is  not  strange  that  I  should  be  fascinated,  while 
floating  through  this  western  paradise,  over  which 
the  moon  shed  her  soft,  silvery  Hght,  and  where  the 
notes  of  the  whip-poor-will  rose  and  died  far  away. 
But  these  grand  old  bluffs  must  also  be  seen  by  day,  to 
be  fully  appreciated.  Then  their  red  cliffs,  wreathed 
with  foliage,  are  very  beautiful.  The  rocks  gen- 
erally have  this  reddish  hue  and  are  often  shaded 
like  the  finest  painting.  It  is  not  possible  to  describe 
the  tint  of  these  masses  of  rock.  I  have  seen  noth- 
ing on  the  Rhine,  that  is  more  picturesque  and 
beautiful. 

"  There  are  flourishing  httle  towns  all  along  these 
shores.  Winona,  229  miles  above  Galena,  is  a  grow- 
ing place.  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  immense 
quantities  of  freight  brought  there.  There  were  two 
or  three  hundred  people  about  the  landing,  many  of 
them  with  torches,  by  the  light  of  which  the  freight 
was  landed. 

"  Long  after  midnight  I  reniained  on  deck,  to  get  a 
sight  of  Lake  Pepin.  This  beautiful  expanse  of 
water  is  about  forty  miles  long,  and  from  two  to  five 
miles  wide.  It  is  said  to  be  very  deep  and  to  have 
no  perceptible  current.  In  the  vicinity,  we  find  little 
groves  of  hemlocks,  pines,  tamarac  and  cedar.  Near 
the  head  of  the  lake  is  Maiden  Rock,  that  rises  ab- 
ruptly from  the  water  to  a  great  height.  Here  tra- 
dition locates  an  Indian  tragedy,  which  is  given  by 


304 

Seymour  in  his  'Sketches  of  Minnesota:'  'About 
Jialf  a  century  ago  an  Indian  belle,  whose  name  was 
Winona,  of  the  tribe  of  Wabasha,  formed  an  ardent 
•attachment  for  a  young  hunter,  by  whom  her  at- 
tachment was  reciprocated.  Her  parents,  however, 
preferred  to  have  her  unite  her  hand  with  a  young 
warrior  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  battle 
against  the  Chippewas.  The  warrior's  suit  being 
rejected  by  the  daughter,  the  father  threatened  that 
she  should  be  united  to  him  on  that  very  day.  The 
family  were  then  accompanying  a  party  on  an  ex- 
cursion up  this  lake,  and  were  encamped  near  this 
rock.  The  maiden  ascended  to  the  summit,  and 
with  a  loud  voice  upbraided  her  friends  below,  for 
their  cruelty  to  the  young  hunter,  whom  they  had 
driven  into  the  forest,  and  cruelty  to  her  for  oppos- 
ing her  union  to  the  only  man  whom  she  loved,  and 
endeavoring  to  make  her  faithless  to  him,  by  com- 
pelling her  to  marry  another.  She  then  commenced 
-singing  her  death-song,  and  regardless  of  the  en- 
treaties of  her  friends  and  parents,  who  promised  to 
rehnquish  all  compulsion,  she  threw  herself  from 
the  precipice  and  fell  a  lifeless  corpse.' 

"  Passing  Eed  Wing,  333  miles,  and  steaming  on  for 
a  distance  of  nearly  thirty  miles,  we  arrived  at  Pres- 
cott,  near  the  confluence  of  Lake  St.  Croix  and  the 
Mississippi.  The  St.  Croix  is  in  the  midst  of  an  in- 
teresting and  picturesque  region,  and  here  forms 
the  boundary  line  between  the  State  and  Wisconsin. 

''The  Mississippi  is  now  growing  narrower,  the 
currents  more  rapid  and  we  near  St.  Paul.  Arriv- 
ing at  this  beautiful  city,  I  proceeded  by  stage  over 
the  prairie,  on  the  way  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony. 


AND    WONDEKS    OF    THE    WEST.  305 

I  crossed  the  wire  suspension  bridge  from  St.  An- 
thony to  MinneapoHs,  a  lovely  httle  city,  as  enter- 
prising and  as  flourishing  as  St.  Paul,  which  is  say- 
ing a  good  deal,  for  of  all  the  live  cities  thus  far 
seen,  there  is  none  more  brisk  and  enterprising  than 
St.  Paul.  The  sites  of  both  Minneapohs  and  St. 
Anthony  are  delightful.  They  are  built  on  level 
ground,  with  an  illimitable  expanse  of  fertile  prairie, 
gently  rolHng  away  to  the  distant  horizon.  I  made 
a  hasty  visit  to  Fort  Snelling,  formerly  the  Indian 
frontier,  but  the  Indians  have  long  since  'moved 
on'  and  are  no  longer  in  the  vicinity.  Eeturning 
from  the  Fort,  I  visited  the  Falls  of  Minnehaha,  not 
only  notable  inLongfellow^'s  charming  "Hiawatha," 
but  exceedingly  beautiful  and  grand,  and  returned 
to  St.  Anthony  by  Lake  Calhoun.  Lake  Minne- 
tonka  is  a  larger  and  more  beautiful  body  of  water, 
still  further  south.  It  is  said  that  the  distance  nav- 
igable, between  the  several  rapids  above  St.  An- 
thony, is  about  300  miles. 

"Far  to  the  north,  the  river  banks  become  lower 
and  the  stream  winds  through  tamarac  swamps  and 
forests  of  cedar  and  fir.  What  a  net- work  of  lakes 
and  rivers  between  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi 
and  Lake  Superior ! 

"About  ten  miles  distant  from  St.  Paul  is  Great 
Bear  Lake,  a  very  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  which 
is  a  favorite  resort  in  summer.  Lake  Minnehaha 
and  Green  Lake,  not  far  distant,  are  both  exceed- 
ingly interesting  to  tourists. 

"  I  made  a  flying  visit  to  Madison,  the  capital  of 
Wisconsin,  which  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  de- 
lightful cities  in  America.     The  city  is  almost  sur- 

20 


306  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

rounded  by  four  beautiful  lakelets — Mendota,  Mo- 
nona, Waubesa,  and  Kegonsa ;  of  these  Mendota  is 
the  largest,  extending  over  an  area  of  fifty  square 
miles.  The  shores  are  of  white  gravel,  and  the 
water,  which  is  fifty  feet  deep,  is  as  clear  as  crystal. 
Monona  is  not  quite  half  as  large,  but  is  quite  as 
beautiful.  The  other  two  lakes  are  very  small — not 
over  three  miles  in  length  by  two  in  width — httle 
sheets  of  silver  upon  an  emerald  ground.  The  city 
is  in  the  valley  with  hills  and  groves  in  the  back- 
ground,—a  picture  of  beauty  such  as  I  have  no 
where  else  seen,  rewarded  my  visit  to  the  tower  of 
the  Capitol.  What  a  marvelous  panorama  met  my 
sight !  Below  me  was  the  city,  and  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  was  spread  a  lovely  and  picturesque 
landscape.  Little  wonder  that  the  Madisonians  are 
proud  of  their  city,  which  for  beauty  is  not  sur- 
passed on  either  continent.  The  Capitol,  of  white 
Hmestone,  stands  in  a  beautiful  park  of  fourteen 
acres,  surrounded  by  an  iron  palisade.  With  schools 
of  the  highest  order,  many  fine  churches,  elegant 
residences,  imposing  stores,  university,  asylum,  first- 
class  news  journals,  and  all  the  appointments  and 
surroundings  which  taste,  enterprise  and  wealth 
can  give,  and  with  a  healthful  cHmate,  Madison  is 
a  charming  place  for  residence. 

Milwaukee,  notable  for  its  extensive  grain  trade, 
its  elegant  homes,  its  picturesque  location,  its  gen- 
eral enterprise,  its  benevolent  institutions;  Racine, 
one  of  the  leading  cities  of  the  State  in  all  respects; 
Fond  du  Lac,  Oshkosh,  and  Janesville,  are  all  flour- 
ishing and  charming  cities,  all  eminently  prosperous 
and  evidence  the  signal  enterprise,  the  taste  and 
refinement  of  their  citizens. 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  307 

Wisconsin  embraces  an  area  of  53,924  square 
miles.  There  are  no  mountains  in  the  State,  on  the 
contrary,  the  entire  surface  is  a  vast  plain,  broken 
only  by  cliffs  that  fringe  the  lakes  and  rivers.  The 
general  elevation  of  the  entire  region  is  one  thous- 
and feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  but  some  of  the 
lands  bordering  on  Lake  Superior  are  much  higher 
— perhaps  1,800  feet. 

"  In  the  southwestern  part  of  the  State  there  are 
numerous  mounds,  some  of  them  of  considerable 
proportions.  Among  the  latter  are  the  Blue,  1,723' 
feet  above  the  sea;  the  Platte,  1,281;  and  the  Sin- 
sinewa  Mounds,  1,169  feet  above  the  sea.  These^ 
elevations  formerly  served  as  guides  for  the  adven- 
turer. There  is  also  a  class  of  ancient  earthworks 
still  visible  in  Wisconsin,  containing  many  pecuh- 
arities.  They  have  been  made  to  represent  quad- 
rupeds, birds,  reptiles,  and  even  the  human  form. 
In  the  vicinity  of  the  well-known  Blue  Mounds, 
there  is  a  specimen  of  these  earthworks  representing 
a  man.  It  is  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long,  with 
a  body  over  thirty  feet  wide,  and  a  well  shaped 
head.  Its  elevation  is  six  feet  above  the  surrounding 
prairie.  The  mound  at  Prairie ville  is  a  very  faithful 
and  interesting  representation  of  a  turtle.  The 
body  is  nearly  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  the  shape  of 
the  head  is  still  well  preserved. 

''Not  far  from  the  Four  Lakes  there  are  over  a 
hundred  smaU  moundsjof  various  shapes  and  dimen- 
sions ;  and  in  the  same  neighborhood  fragments  of 
ancient  pottery,  of  a  very  rude  kind,  have  been 
found.  A  well  formed  mound  near  CassviUe,  repre- 
sents a  mastodon ;  which  has  given  rise  to  many 


308  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF    AMEKICA, 

speculative  opinions,  among  which  is  that  very  reas- 
onable one,  that  the  ancients  who  built  these  earth- 
works, were  cotemporaries  with  that  huge  animal. 
This  theory  is  strengthened  by  the  presence  of  mas- 
todon bones  in  these  mounds." 

The  prairies  differ  in  no  respect  from  those  of 
•other  Territories  already  described.  The  oak  open- 
ings in  the  south-eastern  part  of  the  State  are  also 
s,  remarkable  feature.  In  the  regions  of  the  Fox 
a,nd  Wisconsin  Eivers  and  Green  Bay,  the  timber 
increases  in  quantity  and  value,  and  the  soil  changes 
from  a  vegetable  mould  to  a  sandy  loam. 

Wisconsin  is  rich  in  minerals,  especially  lead, 
copper,  and  on  two  of  the  rivers,  beautiful  marble  of 
light  pink  with  veins  of  deep  red  are  found. 

The  lakes  and  rivers  are  generally  beautiful.  Be- 
sides the  great  lakes  Superior  and  Michigan,  which 
bound  the  State  on  the  north  and  east,  there  are  a 
number  of  smaller  lakes,  several  of  which  are  noted 
for  the  unrivalled  beauty  of  scenery.  "  These  small 
lakes,"  says  Lippincott's  Gazetteer,  "are  most 
abundant  in  the  north-west,  and  are  generally  cha- 
racterized by  clear  water  and  gravelly  bottoms,  often 
with  bold,  picturesque  shores,  crowned  with  hem- 
lock, spruce  and  other  trees.  They  afford  excellent 
fish.  In  the  shallow  waters  on  the  margins  of  some 
of  them  grows  wild  rice,  once  an  important  article 
of  food  with  the  savages  of  this  region." 

The  rivers  generally  flow  into  the  Mississippi. 
The  climate  is  remarkably  healthful  and  though  the 
winters  are  cold  and  long,  there  are  few  sudden  and 
violent  atmospheric  changes.  For  beauty  of  scenery 
Wisconsin  is  unsurpassed  by  any  other  region  in 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  309 

the  North  or  West.  If  Minnesota  can  boast  of 
being  a  better  wheat-growing  State,  Wisconsin  can 
show  that  the  farm  productions  of  her  5,795,538 
acres  of  improved  land  in  1870  were  even  then  esti- 
mated at  $326,765,238.  What  a  glorious  outlook  is 
there  for  both  States,  when  immigration  shall  have 
peopled  the  fertile  regions  now  waiting  the  coming 
of  wilhng  hands ! 

Wisconsin  was  organized  as  a  Territory  April  20th, 
1836,  and  admitted  to  the  family  of  States  May  29th, 
1848.  Within  a  period  of  166  years,  Wisconsin  was 
successively  under  the  government  of  France,  Great 
Britain,  Virginia,  Ohio,  Indiana,  lUinois  and  Michi- 
gan— two  Kings,  one  State,  and  four  Territories. 
But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  Wiscon- 
sionites  are  an  ungovernable  people. 


310 


CHAPTEE  XX. 

The  Valley  of  the  Yellowstone — The  National  Park — Scenery  of  Exqui- 
site Beauty — Yellowstone  Lake— The  Grand  Canon — Wonderful 
Natural  Features— The  Great  Falls — The  Upper  Falls — Firehole 
River — Wonderful  Geysers — Mystic  and  Shadow  Lakes — A  Moun- 
tain of  Glass — Mt.  Blackmore — Route  to  the  Park. 

A  few  more  revolutions  of  the  steamer's  wheels 
and  we  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  in 
the  northern  part  of  Montana,  a  point  in  the  east- 
ern boundary  of  that  Territory,  in  latitude  48  degrees 
north,  longitude  104  degrees  west. 

The  natural  scenery  of  this  region  is  surpassingly 
beautiful.  Here  two  great  rivers,  each  more  than 
half  a  mile  in  width,  both  of  which  have  traversed 
the  greater  part  of  this  picturesque  and  glittering 
Territory,  from  west  to  east,  unite  their  waters  and 
flow  onward  in  sublime  silence  to  the  great  ocean, 
three  thousand  miles  away. 

We  had  scarcely  passed  the  forts  and  crossed  the 
Hne  of  division  of  the  territories,  than  we  landed  and 
started  upon  a  tour  of  exploration  along  the  lovely 
vaUey  of  the  Yellowstone — the  Cashmere  of  America. 
It  is  a  region  of  rare  beauty,  unsurpassed  in  mag- 
nificence by  any  in  this  country  or  in  the  world. 
Its  scenery  was  ever  new,  ever  delightful,  wonder- 
ful and  grand,  though  we  traversed  the  country  for 
days  and  weeks  in  succession. 

Tourists  have  given  to  the  reading  public  occa- 
sional pencilings  of  the  wonders  of  this  region,  but  a 
description  which  would  convey  an  adequate  idea  of 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  311 

the  wonderful  scenery  which  everywhere  startles 
with  amazement  and  delight,  even  were  such  a  de- 
scription possible,  would  fill  the  largest  volume ;  but 
language,  however  truthful,  however  fervid  and 
forcible,  is  utterly  insufficient  to  enable  the  reader 
to  form  a  just  conception  of  the  grandeur  and  sub- 
hmity,  the  exquisite  beauty,  the  immensity  and  pic- 
turesqueness  of  the  natural  features  and  scenery 
here  presented  to  view.  The  whole  vast  region  is  a 
grand  panorama  of  perpetual  surprise  and  delight,  a 
numberless  succession  of  pictures  painted  by  the 
Almighty,  the  setting,  the  eternal  hills. 

The  National  Park,  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
Wyoming  Territory,  is  unequalled  in  the  variety  and 
magnificence  of  its  scenery  by  any  region  on  the 
globe.  The  Park  embraces  an  area  of  fifty-five  by 
sixty-five  miles,  entirely  surrounded  by  lofty  moun- 
tains, whose  snow-capped  peaks  tower  upward  in 
awful  grandeur  to  the  height  of  ten  or  twelve  thous- 
and feet.  The  Park  presents  alternate  lake  and  forest 
scenery,  low  ranges  of  volcanic  rocks,  and  regions 
abounding  with  boiling  springs  and  spouting  geysers. 
It  is  a  field  of  wonders,  interesting  alike  to  the  trav- 
eler and  the  scientist. 

In  this  region  is  Yellowstone  Lake,  the  source  of 
Yellowstone  Kiver.  Viewed  from  any  of  the  adja- 
cent peaks,  the  lake  appears  like  a  broad  sheet  of 
pohshed  silver,  of  irregular  shape,  and  spread  with 
perfect  smoothness  upon  the  plain  below,  while  the 
river,  which  winds  away  in  a  northerly  course,  ap- 
pears like  a  thread  of  silver.  Yellowstone  Lake  is  a 
miniature  ocean,  with  its  setting  above  the  clouds. 
It  is  diversified  by  gulfs,  bays  and  harbors.    Its  tri- 


312  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBIC  A, 

butaries  are  a  few  short  mountain  torrents,  which 
pour  their  clear,  cold  water  into  its  crystal  depths. 
The  level,  sandy  shore  is  in  many  places  very  broad, 
and  thickly  scattered  over  it  are  stones  of  agate, 
cornelian,  chalcedony  and  various  crystalizations. 

With  the  exception  of  Lake  Titicaca,  in  Peru,  the- 
Yellowstone  Lake,  in  altitude,  exceeds  any  great 
body  of  water  on  the  globe,  being  7,475  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  Its  area  is  300  square  miles, 
and  its  greatest  depth  about  300  feet.  Although  it 
is  now  but  20  miles  in  length  and  15  in  width,  it 
was  formerly  a  vast  inland  sea.  The  lake  has  six 
projections  or  arms — four  extending  toward  the 
south,  one  towards  the  west,  and  the  other  towards 
the  north.  The  foot-hills  about  the  lake  are  gener- 
ally clothed  with  forest  trees;  beyond,  there  is  a  vol- 
canic range,  the  naked  peaks  of  which  stand  in  bold 
relief  against  the  sky.  From  any  of  these  high  ele- 
vations, the  view  of  the  lake  and  its  surroundings  is 
exceedingly  beautiful,  its  azure  surface  being  stud- 
ded with  emerald  islands.  In  the  opposite  direction, 
snow-clad  mountain  ranges,  in  endless  succession, 
rise  before  you,  varying  in  altitude,  but  invariably 
grand,  picturesque  and  sublime. 

Upon  the  eastern  side  of  the  lake  are  small  prai- 
ries, the  grazing  ground  of  vast  herds  of  elk,  while 
in  the  pine  forests  which  border  these  plains  may  be 
found  grouse  and  other  game,  the  only  claimants 
for  the  varieties  of  berries  that  in  this  vicinity  grow 
in  profusion. 

The  passage  around  the  lake  is  attended  with 
diihculties.  Eanges  of  rocky  hills — off-shoots  of  the 
loftier    mountain    ranges    adjacent — extend  down 


314  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

to  the  waters'  edge,  and  form  picturesque  promon- 
tories over  its  margin;  while  dark  forests  of  gigantic 
pines,  with  recesses  of  deepest  gloom,  hang  like  a 
pall  around  the  shore.  In  some  places  near  the 
waters'  edge,  and  even  extending  into  the  lake,  are 
hot  springs. 

A  few  miles  below  the  foot  of  the  lake  is  the 
Grand  Canon,  one  of  the  most  gigantic  and  pictur- 
esque rock-rifts  in  the  world.  Peering  over  the  edge 
of  the  precipice,  far  down  into  the  terrible  depths, 
the  river  is  seen  more  than  a  thousand  feet  below, 
a  ray  of  light  amid  eternal  walls  of  grandeur.  So 
deep  is  the  awful  chasm,  that,  though  the  water 
dashes  over  precipices  with  the  roar  of  an  avalanche, 
not  the  faintest  sound  is  borne  aloft  to  the  ears  of 
the  wondering  beholder.  A  silence  almost  painful 
but  subhme  broods  over  the  scene. 

A  few  miles  below  the  Falls,  the  descent  into  this 
stupendous  chasm  may  be  made,  though  the  attempt 
is  daring  and  perilous  in  the  extreme.  Viewed 
from  below,  the  dark  gray  walls  loom  up  to  such  a 
terrible  height  that  they  seem  as  if  they  might 
almost  imprison  the  soul  itself.  Numerous  steam 
jets  and  boihng  springs,  strongly  impregnated  with 
sulphur  or  alum  are  seen  at  almost  every  step,  as 
the  traveler  pursues  his  way  up  the  Grand  Canon 
toward  the  Great  Falls.  In  many  places  these 
springs  have  cast  up  craters  to  the  height  of  four  or 
five  feet,  which  are  formed  by  concretions  of  sulphur, 
hme,  sihca  and  other  chemical  ingredients.  The 
water  in  these  springs  is  of  various  colors,  from  a 
copperas-green  to  a  light  pink  or  an  indigo-blue. 

The  most  remarkable  and  interesting  feature  of 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  315 

ihe  Canon  is  the  Falls.  Here  an  immense  sheet  of 
water,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  width,  leaps 
over  a  tremendous  precipice  three  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high,  and  falls,  with  a  roar  like  Niagara,  in  a 
broad  and  sohd  sheet,  into  the  depths  below.  Tall 
<5olumns  of  fleecy  foam  and  snow-white  spray  arise 
from  the  wonderful  basin,  and  stand  motionless  hke 
pillars  of  cloud — rainbow  tinted  to  their  very  tops. 

The  Upper  Falls  are  situated  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  above  the  Great  Falls,  and  are  about  125  feet 
in  height.  A  short  distance  above,  the  course  of 
the  river  is  through  a  beautiful  stretch  of  meadow 
land,  which  suddenly  gives  way  to  sharp  basaltic 
ridges  through  which  the  rapid  river  dashes  with 
terrible  fury.  For  a  little  distance  above  the  Falls, 
the  river  is  broken  into  furious  rapids ;  and  a  little 
further  on,  the  immense  volume  of  water  leaps  sud- 
denly over  the  terrible  precipice  into  the  yawning 
"depths.  As  the  waters  rush  in  fury  over  the  jutting 
rocks  and  dash  wildly  down  upon  the  rocks  below, 
they  are  broken  in  their  fall,  into  a  sea  of  silvery 
spray,  the  tiny  atoms  of  which  reflect  with  wonder- 
ful brilliancy  the  beautiful  colors  of  the  rainbow. 
Surrounding  the  Falls,  and  standing  low  down  upon 
the  brink  of  the  precipice,  are  numerous  pine  trees, 
•which  lend  a  charm  and  picturesqueness  to  the  scene, 
impossible  to  describe. 

Both  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone  are  exceedingly 
grand  and  beautiful,  but  a  just  idea  of  their  sub- 
limity and  immensity  can  only  be  attained  by  a  view 
irom  the  depths  of  the  canon  below,  or  the  jutting 
xocks  above. 

At  a  distance  of  ten  miles  above  the  Falls,  as  we 


316  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

passed  onward  toward  the  lake,  we  entered  a  region 
abounding  with  boihng  springs.  The  whole  expanse^ 
covering  thousands  of  acres,  seems  to  be  one  vast 
lava-bed,  with  numerous  vents,  in  which  the  water 
boils  continually.  Many  of  these  springs  are  thirty 
or  forty  feet  in  diameter,  and  in  frequent  instances- 
have  formed  craters.  Sometimes  these  craters  are 
of  highly  colored  clay — receiving  their  tints  from  the- 
chemical  agencies  with  which  the  water  is  in  con- 
tact ;  again  they  are  formed  of  sulphur — nearl^^  pure, 
and  with  a  velvet-like  finish,  which  is  very  beauti- 
ful; and  still  again  we  found  them  composed  of  the 
most  delicate  crystalizations  of  alum.  A  little  further 
on,  is  a  region  where  the  deposits  are  principally 
silica,  of  snowy  whiteness ;  and  again,  there  is  a  region 
abounding  with  cauldrons  of  boiling  mud,  which  in 
many  places  is  strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur,, 
emitting  a  very  disagreeable  odor.  In  some  in- 
stances these  latter  springs  are  active  volcanoeSy 
casting,  at  intervals,  their  murky  contents  to  the 
height  of  several  feet. 

Passing  westerly  from  Yellowstone  Lake,  we  en- 
tered upon  the  wonderful  basin  of  Firehole  River,, 
w^hich  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  geyser  regions* 
in  the  world.  The  tract  comprises  an  area  of  thirty 
or  forty  square  miles.  Firehole  river  has  its  rise  in 
Madison  Lake,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  National 
Park,  and  is  the  chief  tributary  of  Madison  River. 
Firehole  River  is  a  succession  of  falls  and  rapids,  all 
of  which  are  very  beautiful.  Compared  with  the 
geysers  of  the  Firehole  Basin,  the  great  geyser  of 
Iceland  sinks  into  insignificance.  The  geysers  spout 
at  intervals  of  from  two  to  thirty  hours.     The  first 


AND    WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  317 

one  discovered  by  the  explorers  of  1871,  threw  a  col- 
umn of  water,  five  or  six  feet  in  diameter,  to  the 
height  of  125  feet,  and  held  it  there  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes.  Other  geysers,  in  this  region, 
throw  columns  of  water  twenty-five  or  even  thirty 
feet  in  diameter,  to  the  height  of  two  or  three  hun- 
dred feet  and  some  exceed  even  these.  One  called 
the  "Bee-Hive"  cast  a  column  of  water  to  the 
heigh th  of  219  feet.  The  "  Giantess"  throws  a  col- 
umn to  the  height  of  250  feet,  and  these  are  exceeded 
in  magnitude  by  hundreds  of  others  in  this  volcanic 
region. 

The  water  of  the  geysers  varies  in  temperature 
from  150  to  200  degrees,  Fahr.,  and  it  is  strongly 
charged  with  the  various  salts  common  to  volcanic 
regions. 

"  A  member  of  the  U.S.  Exploring  Expedition,  re- 
portmg  his  observations  in  this  region,  says : — 

"  Brimstone  Basin  is  the  name  given  to  a  valley  on 
the  east  side  of  the  lake,  which  is  filled  with  the 
ruins  of  former  hot  springs.  Nothing  is  now  left  save 
the  glaring  white  deposit  which  extends  far  up  on 
the  mountain's  side  in  deep  ravines.  These  depos- 
its consist  in  part  of  sulphur,  from  which  sulphurous 
odors  are  still  given  ofi,  and  the  water,  passing 
through  the  beds,  acquires  a  strong  taste  of  alum. 

"  Steamboat  Point  is  on  the  northeast  shore  of  the 
main  arm  of  the  lake.  We  pitch  our  tents  on  the 
blufi,  two  hundred  feet  above  the  water  level,  on  a 
grassy  lawn,  which  is  adorned  with  grand  old  spruce 
trees,  whose  symmetry  and  beauty  would  be  an  or- 
nament to  the  finest  park  in  the  world.  At  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  bluff,  there  are  a  number  of  steam 


318 

jets,  from  which  there  escape  immense  volumes  of 
steam,  with  a  continuous  noise,  resembhng  that- 
made  by  a  large  steamboat,  when  the  escape  valve 
is  open.  These  act,  in  reality,  as  the  escape  valves 
for  the  forces  far  beneath,  and  even  they  are  not 
altogether  sufficient,  for  each  night,  while  we  stay 
here,  we  will  experience  an  earthquake.  About  a. 
mile  from  Yellowstone  Lake,  we  find  a  smaller  lake, 
whose  waters  are  of  a  greenish-yellow  color,  and 
taste  strongly  of  alum.  This  we  call  Turbid  Lake. 
Its  whole  surface  is  covered  with  bubbles  of  escap- 
ing gas. 

''  Leaving  here,  we  enter  the  valley  of  PeHcan 
Creek,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  Yellowstone  Lake. 
At  the  point  we  enter  it,  the  valley  is  wide  and 
meadow-like,  and  the  creek  winds  through  it  in  a 
serpentine  course,  its  water  covered  with  flocks  of 
wild  geese  and  ducks.  So  tame  are  they,  that,  al- 
though we  fire  repeatedly  into  their  midst,  they  are 
not  disturbed.  Our  course  is  up  stream.  The  ascent 
is  gradual,  however ;  the  valley  becomes  narrower 
and  narrower,  until,  at  last,  we  reach  the  head  of 
the  stream,  and  at  sunset  camp  on  the  shore  of 
Shadow  Lake,  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above 
Yellowstone  Lake.  The  lake  is  beautifully  situated. 
Tall  pines  stand  upon  its  banks  like  gloomy  senti- 
nels clothed  in  sombre  green.  The  water  is  per- 
fectly placid." 

But  the  most  beautiful  expanse  of  water  in  this 
region  of  wonders,  is  Mystic  Lake,  which  is  about 
half  a  mile  in  length,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
width.  Lofty  wood-crowned  hills  slope  to  within  a 
short  distance  of  its  grassy  banks,  while  far  above- 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  319 

them  rise  a  volcanic  snow-capped  range  of  moun- 
tains, from  the  summit  of  which  project  jagged 
peaks  and  jutting  roclis,  that  afford  a  foothold  for 
the  mountain  sheep.  A  stream  flowing  from  the 
lake  forces  its  way  into  a  deep  hasin  through  ledger 
of  hmestone,  forming  many  beautiful  cascades.  Not 
far  distant  from  the  lake  are  dehghtful  meadows, 
studded  with  httle  groves  of  pine,  and  here  herds  of 
antelope  graze .  On  a  plateau ,  a  hundred  feet  higher 
than  Mystic  Lake,  may  be  seen  through  the  branches 
of  the  pine  trees,  two  smaller  lakes,  the  water  of 
which  is  of  emerald  tint ;  they  form  a  beautiful  pic- 
ture in  this  silent  and  tenantless  region. 

A  mountain  of  obsidian  or  volcanic  glass,  it  is  re- 
ported, has  recently  been  discovered  near  the  foot 
of  Beaver  Lake.  This  new  wonder  consists  of  col- 
umnar cliffs  of  several  hundred  feet  in  altitude,  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  boiling  springs,  at  the 
margin  of  the  lake.  It  is  said  that  the  exploring^ 
party  cut  a  road  through  the  steep,  glassy  barrier, 
which  they  accomphshed  by  making  fires  on  the 
glass,  then  dashing  cold  water  upon  it.  Large  frag- 
ments were  in  this  way  detached  from  the  sohd  sides 
of  the  mountain  and  broken  by  hammers.  In  the 
grand  canon  of  the  Gibson  Eiver,  the  explorers  also 
found  chffs  of  yellow,  black  and  banded  obsidian, 
hundreds  of  feet  high.  The  natural  glass  of  these 
localities  has,  it  is  said,  long  been  used  by  the  In- 
dians for  tips  of  spears  and  arrow  heads. 

The  only  route  to  the  Park,  at  present  known  ta 
be  convenient  of  access,  is  from  the  settlements  in 
Montana  Territory  by  the  way  of  Fort  Ellis,  on  the 
GaUatin  river  to  the  vaUey  of  the  Lower  YeUow- 


320  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF    AMEKICA, 

stone;  thence  eastward  around  the  lake,  stopping 
at  the  hot  springs ;  crossing  numerous  small  tribu- 
taries, the  most  interesting  of  which  is  the  Upper 
Yellowstone,  and  passing  from  the  west  side,  west- 
erly into  the  basin  of  Firehole  Eiver. 

The  mountain  scenery  in  this  region  is  grand  and 
beautiful.  The  snow-capped  peaks  of  the  Wind 
Eiver  Eange  on  the  south,  loom  up  with  awful  sub- 
hmity,  as  though  they  would  pierce  the  skies.  The 
main  divide  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  on  the  west, 
presents  a  distinct  outline,  dark  and  threatening; 
while  the  Snowy  Mountains  on  the  east,  and  the 
Gallatin  peaks  on  the  north,  are  more  picturesque 
and  interesting. 

From  the  summit  of  a  high  mountain  peak  south 
of  the  beautiful  valley  of  Gallatin  Eiver,  the  Missouri 
is  seen  directly  in  the  distance  upon  the  one  side, 
and  on  the  other  Jefferson  and  Madison  Elvers,  both 
of  which  unite  with  the  Gallatin.     To  the  south  of 
our  point  of  observation,  we  look  upon  a  most  rug- 
ged, wild  and  picturesque  region,  with  giant  moun- 
tains the  chief  feature  in  the  landscape.     Upon  the 
nearer  ranges,  which  are  volcanic,  snow  may  be 
seen.     Eastward  extend  the  Snowy  Eange  of  the 
Yellowstone.     Emigrant  Peak,  Mount  Delano  and 
Mount  Cowan  of  this  range  are  distintly  visible,  as 
are  also  many  lofty  peaks  of  the  Madison  Eange, 
which  extend  to  the  western  horizon,  while    just 
helow  us  is  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.     The 
perpendicular  wall,  on  the  northern  and  western 
sides,  is  too  steep  to  hold  the  snow,  which  lies  in 
deep  banks  before  us,  upon  which  the  sun  never 
shines.     The  height  of  this  peak,  known  as  Mount 
Blackmore,  is  ten  thousand  feet. 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  321 

Had  the  Northern  Pacific  Eailroad-  been  comple- 
ted, it  would  have  furnished  tourists  and  settlers  an 
•easy,  rapid  and  convenient  mode  of  access  to  the 
wronderful  region  and  the  fertile  valleys  adjacent. 

It  is  certain  that  but  a  few  years  will  elapse  till 
the  American  people  will  find  it  an  imperative 
necessity.  Settlements  are  rapidly  springing  up  all 
along  the  entire  line  of  the  road ;  the  hardy  pioneer 
and  frontiersman  already  appreciate  the  fact  that 
the  mines  and  fields  of  Montana  and  Wyoming  are 
inexhaustible  sources  of  wealth.  Starting  from 
Duluth,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  the  Northern 
Pacific  Eoad  pursues  a  westerly  direction  till  it 
reaches  the  valley  of  the  Yellowstone,  about  150 
miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Missouri;  it 
then  follows  the  course  of  the  Yellowstone,  for  a 
distance  of  500  miles,  till  it  passes  through  the 
Snowy  Mountain  Range,  when  it  turns  abruptly  to 
the  northwest,  and  breaking  through  a  convenient 
pass  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  pursues  its  way  to 
the  Pacific.  This  grand  enterprise  will  be  consum- 
ated  in  the  near  future. 

In  the  summer  of  1879,  two  miners  had  a  thriUing 
adventure  in  the  Big  Horn  Canon,  in  the  Yellow- 
stone region.  These  men  wishing  to  save  two 
hundred  miles  travel  around  the  mountains,  con- 
cluded to  make  a  short  cut  by  going  through  the 
canon, — an  exploit  never  before  attempted  by  man. 
With  some  tools  they  had  in  the  mining  camp 
they  constructed  a  frail  craft,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
canon,  having  previously  taken  down  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  red  cedar  for  the  purpose.  The  boat 
was  made  twelve  feet  long  and  three  feet  wide,  and, 

SI 


322  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBIC  A, 

upon  trial,  was  found  to  carry  its  cargo  of  freight 
and  passengers  admirably. 

All  being  in  readiness,  on  the  morning  of  July 
23d,  the  men  embarked  and  pushed  their  boat  into 
the  current.  The  rush  of  the  river,  which  before 
starting  was  almost  deafening,  became  terrible,  as 
the  boat  started  on  its  passage  through  this  un- 
known gorge.  To  go  back  was  utterly  impossible; 
to  climb  the  precipitous  solid  hmestone  walls  which 
rose  five  hundred  feet  above  their  heads,  where  a 
narrow  streak  of  light  shone  upon  their  course,  was 
a  visionary  idea  not  to  be  entertained  for  a  moment ; 
through  they  must  go,  trusting  to  their  ability  to 
avoid  rocks,  and  to  the  strength  of  their  little  craft 
to  run  the  rapids,  which  they  met  at  every  bend  of 
the  canon.  The  loudest  halloo  was  heard  as  a  whis- 
per. Grottoes,  caves,  and  recesses  were  rapidly 
passed  by  those  daring  explorers.  In  places,  flocks 
of  mountain  sheep,  startled  by  the  appearance  of 
the  curiosity  rushing  by  below  them,  would  run 
along  a  narrow  ledge  of  rocks,  jump  from  crag  ta 
crag,  where  footing  for  man  would  be  impossible, 
and  disappear.  The  scene  was  wild,  weird  beyond 
description,  and  can  scarcely  be  imagined. 

Evening  coming  on,  they  attempted  to  tie  up  for 
the  night.  They  managed  to  work  the  boat  close 
to  the  shore,  at  the  imminent  peril  of  its  destruction 
upon  the  rocks,  and  jumped  out  without  injury,  but 
the  rope  attached  to  the  bow  of  the  boat  parted, 
and  in  an  instant  their  fragile  craft  was  being 
whirled  rapidly  onward  by  the  swift-rushing  waters, 
carrying  with  it  their  guns  and  provisions.  The  sit- 
uation was  truly  apalling.     With  starvation  behind 


AND   WONDEES   OF   THE   WEST.  323 

them,  and  scarcely  a  foothold  before  them,  their 
chances  of  escape  were  indeed  doubtful.  Luckily, 
they  found  two  logs  that  had  been  borne  down  by 
the  stream,  and  lodged  in  an  indentation  of  the  rock ; 
these  they  lashed  together  with  their  belts  and  a 
portion  of  their  clothing,  and  again  trusting  to  the 
river  and  dangerous  rocks,  they  pushed  out  into  the 
stream,  and  were  borne  along  with  great  rapidity. 
At  a  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  place  of  the  ac- 
cident, the  boat  was  found  in  an  eddy  of  the  river — 
formed  by  jutting  rocks — and  by  the  greatest  pos- 
sible efforts,  the  men  regained  it. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  while  wonder- 
ing how  much  longer  the  Big  Horn  Canon  could 
possibly  be,  they  shot  out  into  the  beautiful  Big 
Horn  Valley,  with  Fort  C.  F.  Smith  on  their  right. 
It  was  a  thriUing  experience  which  they  will  not  re- 
peat to  save  double  the  distance  around  the  moun- 
tain. 


324  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 


CHAPTEE  XXI. 

Wyoming — Mountains — Rivers — Valley s— Plains — Wild    Animals  —  The 

Bed  of  a  Former  Ocean — Wonderful    Natural  Curiosities — Ante- 

«deluvian  Animals — Gold  Discoveries — Cheyenne — Forts— Montana 

— Climate — Routes  to  Montana — Natural  Divisions  of  the  Territory 

— River  Sources  in  the  Mountains. 

The  magnificent  Territory  of  Wyoming  embraces 
an  area  of  98,000  square  miles,  its  length  from  east 
to  west  being  355  miles;  its  width  276  miles, — as 
great  an  area  as  the  whole  of  New  England  and 
the  State  of  Indiana  together.  On  the  north  is 
Montana,  on  the  east  are  Dakota  and  Nebraska,  on 
the  south  are  Colorado  and  Utah,  and  on  the  west 
is  Idaho  and  a  part  of  Utah.  For  healthfulness  of 
cHmate,  diversity  and  grandeur  of  scenery  and 
wealth  of  resources  the  Territory  is  unsurpassed. 

The  southeastern  portion  is  a  continuation  of  the 
Platte  region,  and  does  not  differ  from  that  of  Ne- 
braska, but  the  northern,  western  and  central  por- 
tions are  made  up  of  grand  and  lofty  mountain 
ranges — the  sources  of  rivers,  thousands  of  miles  in 
length,  which,  after  watering  a  continent,  find  their 
way  to  the  Atlantic  upon  one  side  and  the  Pacific 
on  the  other.  These  mountains  are  portions  of  the 
vast  range  which  extend  from  north  to  south  of 
the  western  continent.  The  most  conspicuous  is 
the  Wind  Eiver  Kange,  which  includes  Fremont's 
Peak  and  Snow's  Peak,  both  more  than  13,000  feet 
in  height.  Within  a  short  distance  of  each  other 
a.re  the  sources  of  the  great  Missouri  and  Colorado 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         325 

Rivers.  Then  there  are  the  Big  Horn  Mountains, 
the  Sierra  Shoshones,  a  portion  of  the  Black  Hills  of 
Dakota,  the  Wasatch  Eange,  the  Sweetwater  Moun- 
tains and  the  Black  Hills  of  Wyoming. 

The  Platte  Valley  extends  far  into  the  central  and 
southern  parts  of  the  Territory,  comprising  an  area 
of  22,000  square  miles.  The  Powder  River  Valley 
opens  to  the  north ;  and  other  valleys  of  importance 
are  the  Sweetwater,  the  Big  Horn  and  the  valley  of 
Green  River.  In  addition  to  these,  there  are  very 
many  small  valleys,  fertile  bottom  lands  and  good 
grazing  grounds.  ^'The  plains  are  those  of  the 
Platte,  Powder,  Big  Horn,  Sweetwater,  Green 
River,  Belle  Fourche  and  Cheyenne,  and  include 
the  lands  lying  between  the  bottoms  and  the  foot 
hills — immense  regions,  too  dry  for  cultivation  with- 
out irrigation,  but  furnishing  food  for  milHons  of 
cattle  and  sheep." 

The  soil  of  the  Territory  is  as  varied  as  its  sur- 
face. Stock  feed  upon  the  plains  at  all  seasons. 
Near  the  mountains  there  are  barren  spots,  but 
more  frequently  the  grasses  grow  upon  the  foot  hills 
and  the  growth  is  luxuriant  in  the  many  thousands 
of  ravines  and  canons.  Dense  forests  of  pine,  cedar, 
fir  and  hemlock  cover  the  mountains,  and  the  val- 
leys are  diversified  by  groves  of  cottonwood  and 
other  trees. 

In  Wyoming  the  hunter  may  have  his  choice  of 
game  for  there  may  be  found  in  any  number  bufialo, 
elk,  antelope,  deer,  grizzly  and  cinnamon  bears,  puma, 
wild  cat,  lynx  and  Rocky  Mountain  sheep,  while 
among  the  smaller  game  he  may  find  grouse,  part- 
ridges, ducks,  geese  and  rabbits.     The  trapper  re- 


326  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

joices  in  an  abundance  of  beaver,  mink  and  marten ; 
and  the  angler  becomes  enthusiastic  over  his  luck 
in  taking  the  finest  trout,  and  other  choice  varieties 
of  the  finny  tribe. 

The  geology  of  Wyoming  is  especially  interesting. 
The  tourist,  even  if  unskilled  in  science,  can  read- 
ily picture  the  upheavals  that  formed  the  moun- 
tains and  divided  the  ocean  into  lakes.  He  may 
trace  the  gradual  subsidence  of  these  oceans,  the 
beaches  they  made,  their  action  upon  limestone  and 
granite,  until  channels  were  worn,  and  the  pent-up 
waters  flowed  down  the  valleys,  now  watered  by  the 
diminished  streams. 

Wyoming  is  full  of  natural  curiosities.  Here  are 
mountains  of  granite,  limestone  and  sandstone; 
beautiful  parks  and  mirror  lakes ;  natural  bridges ; 
Titanic  gateways ;  balanced  rocks ;  skull  rocks  and 
table  rocks ;  and  a  mockery  of  art  in  domes,  cathe- 
dral spires  and  frowning  battlements,  which  have 
no  counterparts  of  proportions  in  the  work  of  hu- 
man hands.  The  mausoleums  of  extinct  animals, 
which  Hved  thousands  of  years  before  man  was  cre- 
ated, are  found  here — the  remains  in  such  perfec- 
tion, that  not  only  can  the  immense  mastodon, 
crocodiles,  turtles,  etc.,  be  studied  in  the  complete- 
ness of  every  part,  but  fish  have  been  preserved, 
even  to  the  smallest  scales,  and  insects  without  so 
much  as  the  loss  of  their  delicate  antennae. 

From  these  beds  in  which  the  Uving  forms  of  the 
past  have  been  preserved,  rather  than  fossihzed, 
science  has  recently  drawn  some  of  its  most  aston- 
ishing deductions  as  to  the  ancient  fauna,  flora  and 
climate   of  this   continent,  and  more  remains  to 


AND   WONDEKS    OF   THE   WEST.  327 

tempt  the  curious,  and  reward  the  search  for  truth. 
Of  all  these  natural  curiosities,  the  Yellowstone 
Park  is  perhaps  the  chief. 

The  wealth  now  hidden  in  the  mountains  and 
streams  and  under  the  soil  of  Wyoming  will  soon  be 
brought  to  light.  Gold  exists  in  every  mountain 
chain  of  the  Territory,  and  mingles  with  the  sands 
•of  almost  every  stream.  It  has  been  found  in  abun- 
dance upon  the  Sweetwater,  and  the  Big  Horn 
Mountains  are  believed  to  conceal  more  gold  than 
the  Black  Hills  of  Dakota.  Silver,  lead,  copper  and 
iron  are  known  to  exist  in  immense  deposits.  Coal 
is  also  found  in  abundance,  and  occasionally,  to  the 
depth  of  25  feet,  as  at  Evanston,  on  the  hne  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Kailroad.  The  less  valuable  precious 
stones — agate,  topaz,  jasper,  garnet,  quartz  crystal, 
and  beautiful  petrifactions,  are  scattered  over  the 
mountainous  part  of  the  Territory.  Through  the 
southern  part  of  this  splendid  country,  from  east  to 
west,  extends  the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  Eailroad. 

Wyoming  was  organised  as  a  Territory,  May  10th, 
1869.  In  all  the  principal  cities  and  towns,  schools 
^nd  churches  are  well  sustained,  and  wherever  set- 
tlements have  been  made,  there  are  abundant  evi- 
dences of  enterprise,  thrift  and  prosperity. 

Cheyenne  is  the  capital  and  chief  city  of  Wyo- 
ming ;  it  is  also  the  county  seat  of  Laramie  County, 
which  comprises  a  territory  of  more  than  twenty 
thousand  square  miles — somewhat  larger  than  the 
counties  of  Eastern  States.  In  1867,  Cheyenne  was 
a  very  small  settlement,  but  at  this  date  it  is  a 
pretty  and  flourishing  city  of  five  or  six  thousand 
inhabitants.     Its  rise  and  prosperity  is  due  to  the 


328  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

opening  of  the  Union  Pacific  Kailroad.  The  city  is 
supphed  with  water  from  two  artificial  lakes  formed 
by  diverting  the  waters  of  Crow  Creek  into  two 
little  valleys  in  the  vicinity. 

An  important  industry  of  the  city  is  the  manu- 
facture of  jewelry,  from  the  materials  afforded  by  the 
western  mountains.  Other  revenues  are  derived  by 
furnishing  supplies  to  the  military  posts  and  Indian 
agencies,  and  also  from  the  freighting  business. 
The  thousands  of  miners  who  go  to  the  Black  Hills 
here  obtain  their  supplies.  At  an  early  day  Chey- 
enne will  be  the  terminus  of  two  important  railway 
hnes  now  in  contemplation.  Near  the  city  is  Camp 
Carlin  and  Fort  Eussell. 

The  line  of  military  defences  between  the  great 
trans-continental  railroad  and  Montana  are  the 
following :  Fort  Laramie,  due  north  of  Cheyenne 
and  about  ninety  miles  distant,  is  established  upon 
a  reservation  of  fifty-four  square  miles.  It  is  a 
place  of  importance  from  its  position  on  the  road 
to  Montana  and  the  Big  IJorn  and  Powder  Eiver 
regions,  and  is  a  trading  post  for  trappers  and 
Indians.  Fort  Fetterman  is  eighty  miles  further 
on — situated  on  the  South  side  of  the  Platte.  The 
reservation  includes  sixty  sections  of  land.  Fort 
Keno,  Fort  Phil.  Kearney,  and  Fort  Smith  guard 
the  Powder  and  Tongue  River  districts  which 
embrace  the  best  agricultural  lands  in  the  State, 
and  ofi'er  especial  attractions  to  miners  and  stock- 
men. The  soil  of  those  regions  is  fertile,  timber  is 
abundant,  and  irrigation  is  unnecessary.  Within  a 
very  few  years  this  favored  section  of  the  Territory 
over  which  now  roam  bands  of  Indians  and  wild 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  329' 

beasts,  will  become  the  thrifty  domains  of  white 
settlers. 

We  return  to  the  great  empire  of  the  Northwest, 
the  Territory  of  Montana.  It  is  indeed  wonderland, 
not  more  for  the  marvelous  beauty  of  its  natural 
scenery  than  for  its  illimitable  resources.  It  is 
Nature's  treasure  repository  of  the  continent.  As 
we  contemplate  its  mineral  and  agricultural  w^ealth, 
so  accessible  to  man,  its  healthful  cHmate,  the 
glorious  achievements  of  its  enterprising  citizens, 
all  is  as  seemingly  unreal  and  fanciful  as  a  fairy 
tale,  but  the  facts  and  figures  are  before  us,  and  as 
we  reahze  their  depth  of  meaning,  a  new  wonder 
possesses  the  mind — wonder  that  this  vast  realm  is 
so  sparsely  populated — that  the  tide  of  immigration 
has  not  long  ago  densely  peopled  the  Territory. 
There  is  but  one  solution  of  the  subject,  and  that  is, 
the  people  have  not  yet  fully  comprehended  the 
facts  that  have  been  published,  and  the  too  general 
supposition  that  the  region  is  inaccessible,  beyond 
the  bounds  of  civilization,  and  the  journey  thither 
beset  with  perils  innumerable. 

A  brief  resume  of  facts  within  my  own  observa- 
tion, and  the  reliable  information,  furnished  me 
by  the  accomplished  journalist  of  Helena — whose 
sparkling  journal,  the  Herald,  is  invaluable  for  its 
fund  of  intelligence  concerning  the  Territory — wiU 
interest  the  reader,  and  tend  to  correct  any  erro- 
neous impressions  that  may  exist,  relative  to  this 
rich  and  attractive  region. 

Montana  is  five  hundred  miles  long  and  three 
hundred  miles  wide — comprising  an  area  of  150,000' 
square  miles,  and  hence  larger  than  aU  New  Eng- 


330 

land  and  New  York  State  together.  England,  Ire- 
land, Scotland  and  Wales  combined,  do  not  equal  the 
Territory  of  Montana  in  size.  It  embraces  all  that 
area  between  the  45th  and  49th  parallels  of  north 
latitude,  and  the  104th  and  116th  meridians  of  west 
longitude.  Although  the  latitude  is  so  high,  there 
are  portions  of  the  Territory  in  the  same  latitude  as 
parts  of  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Michigan,  Oregon, 
France  and  Switzerland,  and  portions  in  a  lower  lat- 
itude than  Great  Britain,  Belgium,  Prussia,  Norway 
and  Sweden. 

Although  the  Territory,  Hke  that  of  Dakota,  which 
is  stiU  larger,  has  a  great  range  of  chmate,  it  is 
everywhere  healthful  and  dehghtf ul.  The  tempera- 
ture is  generally  mild  and  even,  and  although  severe 
cold  weather  is  sometimes  experienced,  it  is  never 
long  continued.  The  rainfall  has  increased  during 
the  past  few  years,  and  the  snow  upon  the  moun- 
tains lies  deep,  but  the  proportion  of  stormy  days  is 
small.  The  glorious  sunshine  and  pure  air  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  is  eminently  conducive  to 
health. 

The  Territory  is  diversified  with  mountains—ranges, 
spurs  and  peaks.  The  head  waters  of  the  Missouri 
and  the  Columbia  Kivers  he  within  its  borders,  and 
it  is  well  watered  bv  these,  and  by  the  Yellowstone. 
Milk,  Marias,  Muscleshell,  Tongue,  Big  Horn  and 
Powder  Rivers,  and  their  tributaries.  In  the  valleys 
of  the  western,  central  and  southern  portions  of  the 
Territory,  the  soil  is  fertile ;  upon  the  table  lands  it 
requires  irrigation.  Of  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
State,  I  shall  speak  at  greater  length.  The  Terri- 
tory is  weU  timbered  throughout,  the  mountains  be- 


AND   WONDEKS    OF    THE   WEST.  331 

ing  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  pine,  fir  and 
spruce,  some  of  which  attain  very  large  size. 

The  principal  valleys  are  the  Yellowstone,  Galla- 
tin, Madison,  Jefferson,  Muscleshell,  Judith  Basin, 
Deer  Lodge,  Missouri,  Prickly  Pear,  Bitter  Boot, 
Jocko,  Big  Hole,  Hellgate,  Blackfoot,  Dearborn, 
Teton,  Marias,  Milk  and  Sun  Rivers. 

"  Montana  boasts  of  the  finest  river  and  valley 
system  in  the  world,"  says  Strahorn,  in  his  work, 
*'*  To  the  Bockies  and  Beyond,"  "  having  a  dozen 
rivers  as  large  and  beautiful  as  the  Mohawk  or 
Juniata — three  of  which  are  navigable.  All  the 
streams  are  full  of  trout  and  other  fish;  elk,  deer, 
antelope,  moose,  bear,  mountain  sheep,  and  many 
kinds  of  small  game  abound.  Numerous  hot  springs 
and  a  mild,  invigorating  atmosphere  are  among  the 
attractions  for  health  seekers.  The  value  of  the 
productions  in  1878,  of  mines,  farms,  pasture  lands, 
-etc.,  was  sixteen  million  dollars,  or  $450  for  every 
man,  woman  and  child  in  the  Territory. "  Churches, 
schools,  hbraries  and  good  daily  and  weekly  news- 
papers are  well  sustained. 

More  than  forty  miUions  acres  of  pastoral  and 
sixteen  miUions  acres  of  ae^ricultural  lands  are  com- 
prised in  the  vast  domsin, s>nd  five- sixths  of  all  this  val- 
uable Territory  is  yet  unoccupied,  and  yet  no  region 
under  our  flag  offers  greater  inducements  to  immi- 
gration. The  valley  and  bench  lands  have  a  less 
altitude  than  3,000  feet,  while  the  average  elevation 
of  Wyoming  is  6,400  feet,  Nevada  and  New  Mexico 
^,600  feet. 

This  Territory  may  be  reached  by  immigration  by 
.steamboat  to  Fort  Benton,  on  the  Missouri  River, 


332  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

and  by  steamboat  up  the  Yellowstone;  or  by  the- 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  from  Omaha,  and  the  Utah 
and  Northern  from  Ogden,  and  overland  coaches 
or  private  conveyances.  The  latter  railroad  has  its 
terminus  at  Beaver  Canon,  200  miles  south  of  Helena. 

The  main  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  enters 
Montana  from  the  North,  between  the  113th  and 
114th  degrees  of  longitude,  bearing  southerly  to 
about  half-way  between  the  45th  and  46th  parallels, 
of  latitude.  From  this  point,  it  turns  abruptly  to  the 
West,  about  two  degrees  of  longitude,  where  it 
intersects  the  Bitter  Root  Range.  The  western  hne 
of  the  Territory,  from  the  intersection  follows  the 
crest  of  the  latter  mountains  north  to  the  Cceur 
d'AIene  Range,  and  from  these  latter  mountains  to 
the  British  Possessions.  This  constitutes  the  "  West 
side"  of  Montana,  or  that  part  drained  by  Clark's. 
Fork  of  the  Columbia  River  into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
It  embraces  an  area  of  about  three-and-a-half  degrees, 
of  longitude  in  length,  by  three  parallels  of  latitude 
in  breadth — about  one-fourth  the  area  of  the  Terri- 
tory. The  other  three-fourths  is  drained  by  the  great 
Missouri  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

Unlike  other  large  rivers  of  the  world,  the  Amazon 
and  the  Nile,that  have  their  sources  and  flow  through 
great  marshes,  swamps  and  lakes,  the  great  rivers 
of  Montana  are  fed  by  innumerable  creeks,  gulches, 
ravines  and  rivulets,  having  their  source  near  the 
summit  of  her  mountain  ranges,  flowing  with  a 
rapid  current  to  the  main  streams,  filling,  but  never 
overflowing  their  banks.  There  is  comparatively 
no  marshy  or  swampy  land  in  Montana.  All  these 
little  streams  have  cut  their  way  through  the  moun- 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  333 

ijains,  leaving  great  divides  on  either  side,  some  of 
them  as  high  or  higher  than  the  main  range.  The 
mountains  rise  from  five  to  ten  thousand  feet  above 
sea  level.  At  this  altitude  all  the  moisture  received 
from  the  clouds  for  six  months  of  the  year  is  in  the 
form  of  snow.  It  keeps  falling  at  intervals  all  that 
time,  and  there  is  no  perceptible  diminution  by 
evaporation  or  otherwise. 

During  the  time  the  snow  falls,  or  soon  after,  the 
wind  deposits  it  in  gullies  and  low  places,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  mountain.  This  is  invariably 
repeated  at  every  snow  fall.  The  winds  of  winter 
are  from  the  west  and  northwest,  so  that  all  the 
snow,  falling  upon  the  bare  and  exposed  places  on 
the  summit  or  western  slope  of  the  mountains,  is 
picked  up  by  these  prevailing  winds  and  deposited 
on  the  opposite  side.  Thus  these  low  places  not 
only  retain  the  snow  that  naturally  falls  there,  but 
the  snow  that,  but  for  the  winds,  would  have  covered 
the  ground  for  many  miles  around.  In  this  way 
immense  snow-drifts  are  formed  at  the  head  of  every 
one  of  the  thousands  of  streams  of  every  size,  rising 
in  the  mountains  of  Montana,  and  in  every  low 
place  or  depression  in  the  sides  of  the  tens  of 
thousands  of  miles  of  mountain  ranges  that  form 
their  banks.  These  snow-drifts  settle  and  pack, 
and  by  spring  they  become  almost  as  solid  and  firm 
as  ice.  They  vary  in  depth  from  five  to  twenty,  and 
in  some  instances,  thirty  feet. 

Here,  on  every  mountain  side,  hanging  far  above 
the  streams,  are  great  reservoirs  of  congealed  water, 
held  securely  and  firmly  by  the  unvarying  tempera- 
ture of  winter,  until  gentle  spring  comes  and  un- 


334  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF    AMEEICA, 

locks  the  rivers  from  their  icy  fastenings  and  warms: 
the  alluvial  soil  of  their  great  valleys,  and  the  bright 
rays  of  the  sun  slowly  and  surely  penetrate  the 
crystal  mass,  sending  the  water  trickhng  down  the 
mountain  side,  filhng  the  streams  with  that  pura 
and  sparkling  liquid. 

At  the  altitude  of  these  banks  of  compact  snow, 
the  nights  are  always  cool,  and  hence  it  is,  that  as 
soon  as  the  sun  sinks  beyond  the  mountains  in  the 
west,  the  melting  process  ceases,  and  the  water  is 
held  in  check  during  the  night,  to  be  let  loose  again 
only  on  the  return  of  the  sun's  rays.  This  wise 
provision  of  nature,  in  the  gradual  melting  of  the 
snow-banks,  prolongs  the  water  supply  and  pre- 
vents the  inundation  of  the  States  bordering  on  the 
lower  rivers.  If  the  snow-fall  was  evenly  spread 
over  the  surface  of  the  whole  country,  much  more 
of  it  would  be  taken  up  by  evaporation,  and  it  would 
melt  and  pass  off  rapidly,  leaving  a  low  stage  of 
water  in  the  rivers  during  a  great  part  of  the  season. 

The  snow-fall  of  Montana  is  much  less  than  in 
the  Territories  to  the  south.  It  is  her  more  ex- 
tensive mountain  ranges,  and  the  drifting  and  pack- 
ing process  of  the  snow  that  falls,  that  makes  it 
possible  for  her  to  give  birth  to  two  of  the  largest 
rivers  on  the  continent. 

The  sources  of  the  two  great  drain  rivers  of  Mon- 
tana are  not  clearly  understood,  even  in  our  own 
country,  owing,  doubtless,  to  the  fact  that  these 
rivers  do  not  retain  their  names  to  their  true  sour- 
ces. By  their  true  source  we  mean  the  stream  that 
conducts  the  most  westerly  drainage  to  the  Atlantic 
and  the  most  easterly  drainage  to  the  Pacific. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  335 

When  Lewis  and  Clark  named  the  three  forks  of 
the  Missouri,  they  were  in  doubt  as  to  which  was 
the  true  source  of  that  great  river.  When,  how- 
ever, they  reached  the  confluence  of  the  Beaverhead 
and  Wisdom  or  Big  Hole  Eivers,  and  had  ascended 
the  former  as  far  as  they  could  with  their  boats, 
they  concluded  that  it  was  the  true  source  of  the 
great  Missouri.  Some  geographers  claim  the  Madi- 
son to  be  the  true  source;  others,  that  the  Wisdom 
or  Big  Hole  is  the  stream  entitled  to  that  distinc- 
tion. Applet  on 's  Cyclopedia  says  the  Wisdom 
Kiver  is  thought  by  many  to  be  the  true  source, 
and  that  it  rises  within  a  mile  of  the  headwaters  of 
Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia.  Instead  of  one  mile 
the  distance  is  125  miles. 

Fires  not  unfrequently  occur  in  the  forests  bor- 
dering the  large  rivers,  as  well  as  upon  the  extensive 
plains  in  autumn  when  the  grass  has  become  dry, 
not  only  proving  destructive  to  valuable  property, 
but  to  human  life.  The  following  thrilling  incident 
which  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  1879,  illustrates 
the  rapidity  with  which  the  flames  extend  when 
once  kindled.  Col.  Leon  and  a  Mr.  Perry,  lessees 
of  Canon  ferry,  at  the  head  of  the  Magpie  Eiver, 
started  down  the  mountain  road,  in  a  vehicle  drawn 
by  a  pair  of  horses.  The  wind  swept  violently 
from  summit  to  base,  and  with  it  floated  great 
clouds  of  smoke,  a  party  of  prospectors  having  the 
day  before  allowed  their  camp-fires  to  extend  to  the 
grass  in  the  vicinity.  About  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  Leon  and  his  companion  reahzed  that 
the  whole  vast  incline  back  of  them  was  in  flames, 
and  that  the  tire  was  sweeping  down  the  mountain 
with  great  rapidity. 


336  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

With  a  crooked,  rocky,  and  in  some  places  un- 
broken road  before  them,  the  travelers  became 
alarmed  for  their  safety.  What  was  to  be  done, 
must  be  done  with  the  utmost  dispatch.  Their 
only  hope  lay  in  outstripping  the  advancing  flames. 
Leon  put  whip  to  the  horses  and  the  animals 
dashed  along  the  verge  of  the  dizzy  precipices  at 
breakneck  speed.  The  booming  of  falling  timber, 
and  the  roar  and  crackling  of  the  flames  was  fright- 
ful in  the  extreme,  and  rose  above  the  voices  of  the 
men,  while  the  smoke  was  blinding  and  at  times 
concealed  the  rugged  road.  Hot  blasts  of  air  had 
nearly  exhausted  the  horses,  when  to  add  to  the 
horror  of  the  position,  it  was  found  on  making  a 
sharp  turn  in  the  road,  that  it  had  been  choked  up 
by  tumbhng  rocks  and  the  debris  of  pine  trees  that 
had  fallen  from  above.  These  obstructions,  the  men 
were  obliged  to  remove,  a  work  which  required 
many  minutes,  the  flames  the  meantime  pursuing 
them  with  fury.  When  they  again  started,  trees 
were  falling  all  about  them,  the  atmosphere  was 
filled  with  smoke  and  the  fumes  of  burning  pitch. 
A  short  run,  at  the  utmost  speed  of  the  horses,  for 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,  brought  the  travelers  to  a  clear- 
ing upon  the  mountain  side  and  they  escaped. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST. 


337 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


Eastern  Montana— A  Vast  Unoccupied  Region — The  Western  Wilds  in 
Earlier  Days— Appearance  of  the  Country — Productions— Stock 
Raising — Attractions  lor  the  Tourist — Hunting  Grounds — A  Letter 
by  Arapooish,  a  Crow  Chief. 

In  speaking  of  Montana,  we 
generally  ignore  entirely  the  larg- 
est part.  Referring  to  its  mines, 
its  agricultural  and  pastoral  set- 
tlements, we  think  only  of  the 
western  third,  lying  on  both  sides 
of  the  main  range  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  the  numerous 
spurs  extending  east  and  west  of 
the  great  divide ;  but  a  glance  at 
the  map  shows  us  that  the  pres- 
ent settlements  hardly  extend 
east  of  the  111th  meridian,  while 
the  eastern  boundary  of  Montana  lies  seven  degrees 
further  east. 

Here  is  an  immense  scope  of  country,  covering 
seven  degrees  of  longitude  (104 — 111  W.),  and  four 
degrees  of  latitude  (45 — 49  N.),  or  350  miles  east 
and  west  by  250  miles  north  and  south,  which  is,  as 
yet,  hardly  touched  by  civihzation.  A  few  stray 
cow-boys  or  sheep-herders,  may  be  found  along  its 
western  border,  and  a  thin  hne  of  scattered  settle- 
ments cuts  through  it  along  the  northern  bank  of 
the  Yellowest  one,  but  hardly  an  impression  has  yet 
been  made  on  its  90,000  square  miles. 

8S 


338  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Eastern  Montana  is  divided  into  three  belts  of 
nearl^^  equal  size  by  its  two  principal  rivers,  the  Mis- 
souri and  the  Yellowstone.  These  two  unite  on  its 
eastern  border,  and  they  have  served  in  the  past  as 
the  highways  by  which  the  only  access  to  the  coun- 
try was  practicable.  If  we  except  the  early  French 
travelers  who  reached  the  Kocky  Mountains  within 
Montana,  and  probably  traversed  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  country  along  their  eastern  base,  the  first 
real  explorers  of  these  Western  wilds  were  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  with  whose  wonderful  exploits  we  are  all 
familiar.  They  ascended  the  Missouri,  and  dividing 
their  party,  one  division  descended  the  Yellowstone, 
thus  showing  the  navigability  of  these  two  streams 
for  mackihaws  and  batteaux.  The  knowledge  thus 
gained  was  soon  taken  advantage  of  by  the  adven- 
turous fur-traders  and  trappers,  ever  on  the  lookout 
for  virgin  ground,  to  which  they  might  extend  their 
operations  and  reap  a  rich  harvest  before  the  arrival 
of  keen  competitors.  Although  a  fascinating  theme, 
I  cannot  dwell  on  these  early  times, seemingly  so  far 
off,  because  nothing  like  them  can  now  be  found,but 
really  only  half  a  century  removed  from  the  present 
day, when  scores  of  steamboats  are  navigating  these 
two  rivers,  and  it  is  only  a  matter  of  a  few  more 
years  before  the  iron  rails  will  be  laid  along  their 
banks   and  across  their  waters. 

The  pages  which  shall  truly  tell  the  history  of 
those  days  will  be  as  full  of  romance  as  any  in  the 
history  of  our  country.  Many  a  night  I  have  sat 
among  the  buckskin-clad  hunters  and  trappers 
around  the  camp  fires  and  hstened  to  the  tales  of 
deeds,  rivalling  those  of  Daniel  Boone ;   and  the 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  d39 

shores  of  the  Missouri  are  truly  as  bloody  ground  a« 
the  woods  and  prairies  of  Kentucky. 

Those  of  our  readers  who  have  come  up  that  river 
must  have  had  pointed  out  to  them  many  a  now 
deserted  cabin,  many  a  brushy  ravine  or  narrow 
"  coohe,"  as  scenes  of  gallant  fights  or  bloody  mas- 
sacre. They  must  have  been  told  how  eight  young 
men  from  St.  Louis,  were  brought  up  on  a  steam- 
boat, and  selected  a  place  for  a  wood  yard,  built 
their  cabin,  and  were  found  by  the  same  steamboat 
on  its  return  from  Benton,  eight  blackened  corpses 
among  the  smouldering  house  logs ;  they  had  been 
too  confiding ;  allowed  the  Indians  to  come  up  to 
them,  and  were  killed  with  their  own  weapons.  Or 
they  have  landed  at  the  old  trading  post,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Muscleshell,  and  been  told  of  the  one 
white  woman,  within  hundreds  of  miles,  who  still 
hved,  while  her  scalp  adorned  the  lodge  of  a  Sioux 
brave.  Or  they  were  shown  the  coolie  in  which 
thirty  brave  wood- choppers  and  wolfers  attacked  a 
hundred  Indians,  fighting  them  the  whole  day,  and 
at  last  compelling  them  to  run  for  their  lives,  leav- 
ing thirty- two  good  Indians  behind  them,  and  only 
two  bucks  getting  away  without  a  wound,  while  five 
hundred  other  Indians  were  yelling  and  shooting  in 
the  woods,  a  mile  off,  too  cowardly  to  come  to  the 
assistance  of  their  comrades. 

Only  those  who  have  Hved  at  MusclesheU,  or  a 
similar  place,  can  reahze  what  the  hfe  of  an  early 
hunter  or  trapper  was :  constant  danger,  constant 
apprehension.  One  hving  in  a  country  surrounded 
by  hostile  Indians,  feels  never  at  perfect  ease.  No 
matter  what  his  occupation,  his  rifle  is  never  beyond 


340  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

liis  reach.  He  never  goes  outside  of  the  door  of 
his  cabin  or  lodge  without  being  armed  cap  a  pie. 
His  eye  is  constantly  watching  for  signs  of  his  ene- 
mies. He  scans  evey  bush,  rock  or  ravine,  as  he 
approaches  them,  for  fear  an  Indian  may  be  lurking 
behind  them.  He  camps  in  places  where  unob- 
;  served  approach  is  difficult.  He  puts  out  his  camp 
fire  at  dark,  let  the  weather  be  ever  so  cold,  lest 
he  should  become  the  mark  for  the  rifie-buUet  of  a 
skulking  savage.  Jlis  nerves  are  strung  to  the 
highest  pitch :  the  slightest  noise  awakes  him ;  and 
yet,  in  spite  of  all  this,  there  is  an  indescribable 
something  about  this  wild  life,  this  untrammeled 
freedom  of  the  limitless  prairies,  which  has  a  charm 
for  even  educated  men,  and  whoever  has  once  tried 
it,  looks  always  back  to  that  period  of  his  life  as 
having  given  him  a  freshness  of  enjoyment  and 
feehng,  which  he  has  never  since  experienced. 

On  the  west  and  south,  Eastern  Montana  is 
bounded  by  mountains,  and  a  few  detached  masses 
are  scattered  through  its  northwestern  part.  These 
mountains  are  well  timbered  with  pine  and  fir,  and 
from  them  issue  numerous  streams,  abundantly 
watering  the  adjacent  country,  which  is  covered 
with  a  magnificent  growth  of  bunch  grass,  making 
the  finest  imaginable  stock  range,  except  during  the 
deep  snows  of  winter,  when  it  becomes  necessary 
to  drive  the  stock  some  distance  from  the  high 
mountains,  where  the  snow  rarely  falls,  to  any 
great  depth. 

After  leaving  the  mountains  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles,  the  country  begins  to  change  in 
character.    The  vegetation  loses  its  luxuriant  fresh- 


MONTANA  LAKE  BY  MOONLIGHT. 


'642  LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

ness,  the  rank  growth  of  grass  and  tall  weeds  found 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  settles  down  into 
an  open  growth  of  bunch  grass,  ten  to  fifteen  inches 
tall,  with  the  habit  of  steppe,  vegetation  of  moun-^ 
tains  the  world  over,  growing  in  tufts,  leaving  the 
ground  visible  between. 

Except  during  May  and  June,  the  grass  looks 
yellow  and  withered,  apparently  without  life  or 
strength.  Few  or  no  streams  rise  in  these  plains ; 
some  springs  trickle  out  of  the  hillsides  here  and 
there,  but  few  of  them  form  permanent  brooks; 
they  are  generally  absorbed  by  the  thirsty  soil  after 
running  a  few  hundred  yards.  The  permanent 
streams  run  in  comparatively  narrow  valleys,  the 
grassy,  rolling  table  lands  rising  in  easy  swells  on 
either  side,  except  where  the  underlying  sandstone 
appears,  and  forms  a  steep  bluff  against  the  river 
valley.     Timber  is  scarce. 

Along  the  streams  is  a  narrow  fringe  of  cotton- 
wood  and  willows,  and  where  the  prairie  assumes  a 
more  broken  character,  and  the  bed-rock  crops  out, 
we  find  generally  a  scanty  growth  of  fir,  pine  and 
cedar.  Along  the  large  rivers,  such  as  the  Mis- 
souri, Yellowstone,  Powder  and  Tongue,  grow  large 
groves  of  immense  cottohwood  trees,  interspersed, 
east  of  the  106th  meridian,  with  ash,  box-elder  and 
oak.  Their  valleys  are  several  miles  wide,  with  a 
rich,  black  soil,  but  immediately  back  of  these  val- 
leys rise  singular  "  bad-land"  bluffs,  ^Ye  or  six  hun- 
dred feet  high,  giving  a  very  forbidding  aspect  to 
the  country,  to  any  one  ascending  these  streams. 
The  "bad-lands"  extend  back  only  a  few  miles, 
however.     Climbing  up  their  loose,  crumbling  sides, 

I 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE    WEST.  343 

almost  without  vegetation  of  any  kind,  it  appears 
that  they  form  only  the  escarpment  of  the  table 
land.  The  wash  has  been  so  great  that  all  the  sur- 
face soil  has  been  worn  away,  exposing  a  sterile 
sub-soil  seemingly  incapable  of  sustaining  any  kind 
of  vegetation.  The  summit  of  the  table  land  is 
again  of  the  nature  of  the  country  already  described ; 
a  rolling,  grassy  plain. 

This  apparently  dead  and  sere  grass  is  the  richest 
of  pastures.  This  part  of  Montana  will  never  form 
a  thickly-settled  farming  country.  The  river  val- 
leys will  all  be  cultivated,  and  sufficient  grain  and 
vegetables  will  be  raised  to  supply  the  home  de- 
mand. '^In  the  scattered  settlements  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone," says  a  journalist  of  Helena,  "actual 
-experience  has  shown  that  good  crops,  of  all  kinds, 
may  be  raised  without  irrigation,  and  as  the  grow- 
ing season  is  much  longer  than  in  the  mountain 
valleys,  we  will  probably,  in  a  few  years,  draw  our 
supplies  of  tender  vegetables  and  fruits  from  the 
Yellowstone,  as  Missoula  will  supply  Deer  Lodge 
and  the  Western  Slope."  Grapes  and  plums  are 
growing  wild  in  abundance  throughout  the  Crow 
reserve,  and  extensive  orchards  are  now  being 
planted  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Yellowstone. 

Mineral  deposits  are  found  everywhere  in  the 
mountains,  and  as  soon  as  the  Indian  question  be- 
comes sufficiently  settled  to  make  thorough  pros- 
pecting possible  in  the  Big  Horn  Mountains,  there 
is  every  probability  that  rich  discoveries  of  the 
precious  metals  will  be  made.  Indications  of  gold, 
silver  and  copper,  have  been  found  in  many  places, 
but  as  long  as  the  discoverer  would  not  be  per- 


344  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF  AMERICA, 

mitted  to  profit  by  his  discoveries,  there  are,  of 
course,  few  inducements  for  the  prospector.  Coal- 
bearing  strata  abound  everywhere.  Along  the  Mis- 
souri, the  Yellowstone,  the  Powder  Eiver — in  short, 
wherever  a  large  stream  has  cut  down,  exposing  tha 
strata — coal  seams  may  be  seen ;  but  as  there  has- 
not  hitherto  been  any  use  for  coal,  the  mines  are,, 
of  course,  undeveloped. 

It  is  as  a  stock-raising  country,  however,  that 
Eastern  Montana  is  destined  to  take  very  high  rank. 
Only  within  a  few  years  has  it  been  possible  for 
stockmen  to  take  their  herds  east  of  the  Belt  range. 
It  is  but  three  years  since  Indians  raided  every 
summer,  up  to  the  very  outskirts  of  Bozeman. 
Such  was  the  condition  of  the  country  at  the  time 
of  our  visit.  No  one  then  dared  to  travel  ten  miles 
east  of  Helena  without  being  armed  to  the  teeth, 
and  every  year  people  were  killed  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  Capital.  Now  a  daily  line  of  coaches 
runs  undisturbed,  the  whole  length  of  the  Yellow- 
stone valley,  and  people  travel  alone  and  unarmed 
from  here  to  Miles  City,  eating  their  dinners  every 
day,  and  sleeping  every  night  in  a  comfortable  farm- 
house. Already,  however,  is  the  nearest  accessible 
country,  filling  up  rapidly.  Stockmen  are  pushing 
their  way  down  the  Muscleshell  and  the  Yellow- 
stone, and,  in  the  north,  up  the  Highwoods  and. 
along  the  Teton  and  the  Marias.  Eastern  capital- 
ists are  waking  up  to  the  fact  that  the  bunch  grass 
of  the  plains  holds  a  surer  fortune  than  the  uncer- 
tain bonanzas,  and  companies  are  forming  to  raise-, 
cattle  and  sheep  on  a  large  scale.  It  may  be  confi- 
dently predicted  that  in  five  years  from  to-day,  one 


\  AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  345- 

may  traverse  this  plains  country  in  any  direction, 
from  the  Canon  of  the  Big  Horn  to  the  alkahne 
bottoms  along  Milk  river,  or  from  Bozeman  to  Bis- 
marck, with  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  constantly  in 
sight.  As  a  grass  country,  all  this  immense  tract 
is  far  superior  to  the  lands  lying  between  the  Union 
and  Kansas  Pacific  Eailroads,  and  Montana  cattle 
are  to-day  favorably  known  in  Eastern  markets,  as 
being  of  equal  grade  and  in  as  good  condition  as 
those  coming  from  Colorado,  Nebraska  or  Wyom- 
ing. Only  one  thing  can  prevent,  or  at  least  retard, 
the  prosperity  of  Montana  in  the  near  future.  That 
is  unwise  legislation  by  Congress.  Signs  are  abund- 
ant that  great  land-grabbing  schemes  are  afoot. 
The  present  cry  is  that  while  our  land  system  did 
very  well  in  the  agricultural  States,  it  is  entirely 
unsuited  to  the  grazing  country  of  the  West.  This 
is  undoubtedly  the  case,  if  it  is  the  best  policy  of 
the  government,  to  dispose  of  these  lands.  They 
cannot  be  sold  in  tracts  of  160  acres,  nor  of  one 
square  mile.  If  they  are  to  be  sold  at  all,  it  must 
be  in  lots  of  dozens  or  hundreds  of  square  miles,  and 
the  larger  the  lots  are  made  the  easier  it  will  be  to 
sell  them.  But  the  result  of  this  would  be  highly 
detrimental  to  the  Western  Territories.  The  sum 
for  which  all  this  land  could  be  sold  would  be  very 
small,  a  few  cents  an  acre,  barely  covering  the  cost 
of  parceling  it  out,  and  ultimately  a  few  hundreds  of 
wealthy  men,  or  companies,  would  own  scores  of 
thousands  of  square  miles.  No;  let  the  agricultural 
land  along  the  water  courses  be  surveyed  and  dis- 
posed of  in  small  lots,  as  at  present,  under  the 
homestead  and  pre-emption  laws;  but  revoke  the- 


34&  LIFE   IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMEKICA,  / 

desert-land  act,  at  least  for  Montana,  and  leave  the 
grazing  land  as  public  domain,  open  to  the  widow's 
one  lamb,  as  well  as  to  the  wealthy  man's  thousands 
of  cattle.  In  that  way  it  will  take  but  a  few  years 
before  all  the  land  will  be  utilized.  Every  available 
acre  will  be  cultivated,  and  thousands  will  find  com- 
fortable homes  where  we  will  find  only  a  few  rude 
€ow-boys,  or  half-Indianised  shepherds,  making  for- 
tunes for  Eastern  capitalists,  if  the  land  is  thrown 
upon  the  market  in  large  tracts. 

For  tourists  Eastern  Montana  has  considerable 
attractions.  The  strange  ^'bad  lands"  along  the 
principal  rivers  are  a  unique  feature  in  the  land- 
scape, while  the  scenery  along  the  Upper  Missouri 
is  grand  beyond  description.  The  Big  Horn  Moun- 
tains on  the  southern  border  are  probably  the  most 
picturesque  range  in  the  United  States,  and  the 
whole  region  affords  splendid  hunting  and  fishing. 
Here  is  the  last  stronghold  of  the  buffalo.  These 
animals  cannot  now  be  found  in  such  numbers  as 
ten  years  ago,  when  the  tourist  could  travel  from 
Muscleshell  to  Milk  Kiver,  75  miles,  through  an 
open  rolling  country,  without  ever  being  out  of  rifle 
shot  of  the  bufialo.  They  covered  the  plains  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  the  grass  was  cropped 
as  closely  as  if  sheep  had  been  pasturing  there  for 
months.  But  as  long  as  any  buffalo  herd  is  in  exis- 
tence, it  will  be  found  on  the  open  prairies  along 
Milk  Kiver,  and  when  they  are  completely  extermi- 
nated on  the  plains,  the  last  stragglers  will  probably 
seek  a  refuge  among  the  almost  inaccessible  crags 
of  the  Big  Horn  Mountains.  Antelope  abound  every- 
where, while  large  herds  of  elk  are  found  throughout 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  347 

the  western  part.  They  were  so  abundant  along  the 
Yellowstone  in  former  times,  that  the  Indians  named 
this  stream  Elk  Eiver.  Black  and  white  tail  deer 
fairly  swarm  in  those  places,  where  they  have  not 
been  hunted  too  much,  and  all  the  mountain  streams 
are  alive  with  beaver  and  otter.  If  the  hunter  wishes 
a  spice  of  danger  in  the  chase,  he  will  not  have  to 
seek  long  before  finding  a  grizzly  bear  or  a  moun- 
tain hon. 

Arapooish,  a  Crow  chief,  in  a  letter  to  the  well- 
known  fur  trader,  Kobert  Campbell,  says : 

*^  The  Crow  country  is  a  good  country.  The  Great 
Spirit  has  put  it  exactly  in  the  right  place ;  while 
you  are  in  it,  you  fare  well;  when  ever  you  go  out 
of  it,  which  ever  way  you  travel,  you  fare  worse.  If 
you  go  to  the  south,  you  have  to  wander  over  great, 
barren  plains ;  the  water  is  warm  and  bad,  and  you 
meet  the  fever  and  ague.  To  the  north  it  is  cold; 
the  winters  are  long  and  bitter,  with  no  grass ;  you 
cannot  keep  horses  there,  but  must  travel  with 
dogs.  On  the  Columbia,  they  are  poor  and  dirty, 
paddle  about  in  canoes  and  eat  fish.  Their  teeth 
are  worn  out,  they  are  always  taking  fishbones  out 
of  their  mouths.  To  the  east  they  live  well,  but 
they  drink  the  muddy  water  of  the  Missouri.  A 
Crow's  dog  would  not  drink  such  water.  About 
the  forks  of  the  Missouri  is  a  fine  country;  good 
water,  good  grass,  plenty  of  buffalo.  In  summer 
it  is  almost  as  good  as  the  Crow  country,  but  in 
winter  it  is  cold ;  the  grass  is  gone,  and  there  is  no 
salt  weed  for  the  horses.  The  Crow  country  is 
exactly  in  the  right  place.  It  has  snowy  mountains 
-and  sunny  plains;  all  kinds  of  climates,  and  good 


348  LIFE  IN   THE   WILDS    OF   ^.MERICA, 

things  for  every  season.  When  the  summer  heats, 
scorch  the  prairies,  you  can  draw  up  under  the 
mountains,  where  the  air  is  sweet  and  cool,  the 
grass  fresh,  and  the  bright  streams  come  tumbhng 
out  of  the  snow  banks.  There  you  can  hunt  the 
elk,  the  deer  and  the  antelope,  when  their  skins  are 
fit  for  dressing ;  there  you  will  find  plenty  of  white 
bear  and  mountain  sheep. 

"In  the  autumn,  when  your  horses  are  fat  and 
strong  from  the  mountain  pastures,  you  can  go 
down  into  the  plains  and  hunt  bufialo,  or  trap  bea- 
ver on  the  streams.  And  when  winter  comes  on, 
you  can  take  shelter  in  the  woody  bottoms  along 
the  rivers ;  there  you  will  find  bufialo  meat  for  your- 
selves, and  Cottonwood  bark  for  your  horses.  Or 
you  may  winter  in  the  Wind  Eiver  Yalley,  where- 
there  is  salt  weed  in  abundance.  The  Crow  Coun- 
try is  exactly  in  the  right  place.  Everything  good 
is  to  be  found  there.  There  is  no  country  hke  the 
Crow  Country." 

And  Arapooish  was  about  right.  His  country  is 
a  good  one,  and  unless  the  Crows  learn  to  make  a 
better  use  of  it  than  at  present,  they  must  soon 
yield  it  to  those  who  will  appreciate  it  for  something 
besides  its  game.  It  is  almost  the  last  untrodden 
wilderness  left  in  the  United  States ;   but  even  that 

being  invaded  by  advancing  civilization,  and  when 
we  turn  to  the  map  of  America,  ten  years  hence,, 
names  of  towns,  villages  and  settlements  will  dot  it 
so  closely,  that  nowhere,  throughout  the  Great 
Northwest,  will  the  map-maker  find  a  vacant  spot, 
where  he  can  write  the  oft-repeated  words — "  G-reai 
American  Desert." 


AND   WONDERS   OF   THE   WEST.  349 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Stock  Raising — Mineral  Resources  of  Montana — The  First  Mining  Ex- 
citement— A  Reminiscence — Road  Agents — Famous  Gold  and  Sil- 
ver Mines — Treasure  Repositories  of  this  Country. 

It  is  fortunate  for  Montana,  that  immense  coal- 
beds  underlie  portions  of  the  Territory,  for  coal  will 
soon  have  to  supply  the  place  of  wood,  for  fuel,  as 
the  forests  are  disappearing,  under  the  enormous 
consumption  of  timber,  by  the  towns,  mines  and 
mills.  Helena,  alone,  consumes  30,000  cords  of 
wood,  annually,  to  say  nothing  of  the  requirements 
of  the  lumber  trade. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  capital,  there  is  a  coal-mine, 
now  yielding  immense  quantities  of  bituminous 
coal,  and  mines  of  iron,  tin  and  copper,  have  also 
been  opened. 

The  certainty  of  results  has  rendered  stock-rais- 
ing a  favorite  pursuit  in  Montana.  Young  men  and 
many  miners,  who  manage  to  accumulate  a  few 
hundred  dollars,  find  investments  in  cattle  and 
sheep  very  profitable.  They  place  their  stock  in 
charge  of  ranchmen  and  give  themselves  no  further 
trouble  or  care  about  the  matter.  Before  they  are 
aware  of  it,  they  become  rich  by  the  increase  and 
value  of  their  herds. 

There  are  millions  of  acres  in  the  foot-hills,  which 
will  supply  food  for  miUions  of  cattle,  for  centuries, 
but  are  good  for  nothing  else.  The  pursuit  of  agri- 
culture will  continue  to  be  the  leading  industry  of 
Montana. 


350 

Each  declivity  of  the  mountains,  has  a  chmate 
pecuhar  to  itself.  The  west  side  is  favored  with 
dews  and  rains.  Frost  does  not  visit  it  as  early  as 
the  east  side.  Some  crops  mature  better  than  in  the 
eastern  valleys,  but  in  the  production  of  the  great 
staples,  there  is  but  little  difference  on  either  side  of 
the  main  range.  The  average  yield  of  wheat  is  forty 
bushels  to  the  acre.  Agriculture  is  a  different  sci- 
ence in  Montana  from  what  it  is  in  the  States.  The 
ranchmen  can  tell  exactly  what  is  needful  to  insure 
large  crops,  when  and  how  to  irrigate,  when  to 
plant  and  when  to  glean.  The  Territory  has  twenty- 
three  millions  acres  of  agricultural  and  sixty  mil- 
hons  acres  of  grazing  land.  The  entire  agricultural 
population  of  Montana,  at  present,  will  not  exceed 
eight  thousand.  Immigration,  alone,  is  needed  for 
the  full  development  of  all  the  elements  of  prosper- 
ity. The  entire  population  of  the  Territory,  base 
confident  hopes  upon  the  early  completion  of  the 
great  Northern  Pacific  Koad.  There  is  a  feeling, 
everywhere,  that  Montana  is  soon  to  be  brought  into 
near  neighborhood  with  the  rest  of  the  Union,  and 
that  her  unequalled  resources,  will  be  appreciated 
by  the  world. 

The  manufacture  of  woolen  goods  will,  no  doubt,, 
become  a  great  industry  in  the  Territory.  Water 
power  is  abundant,  and  the  wool  is  at  hand;  it  is, 
also,  reasonable  to  predict  that,  at  no  distant  day, 
Montana  will  compete  with  other  localities  in  the 
manufacture  of  shot,  white  lead,  and  other  heavy 
articles  largely  used,  for  the  production  of  which 
the  crude  material  abounds  m  the  Territory  in  quan- 
tities sufficient  to  supply  the  whole  world. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  351 

The  U.  S.  Surveyor- General,  for  Montana,  says, 
of  the  mineral  wealth : 

'^No  reliable  estimate  can  be  made  of  the  value 
of  the  vast  mineral  resources  of  Montana.  The 
richest  placer-mining  ground  in  the  comparatively 
settled  portions  of  the  Territory,  has  been  worked 
out,  but  new  diggings  are  constantly  being  discov- 
ered, and  there  are  immense  areas  of  placer  ground 
which  will  pay  a  handsome  profit  whenever  labor 
can  be  procured  at  from  $1.50  to  $2.00  per  diem. 
Quartz  mining  is  stiU  in  its  infancy,  and  it  is  only 
within  the  last  year  that  sufficient  developments, 
have  been  made  at  several  of  the  most  prominent 
mining  camps — notably,  Butte  and  Phihpsburg — to 
prove  the  permanence  and  value  of  the  ore  deposits. 
Considering  her  isolated  condition  and  the  great  ex- 
pense of  the  reduction  of  ores  and  transportation, 
Montana's  product  of  precious  metals  has  been 
very  large.  In  the  near  future  it  will  be  greatly  in- 
creased, and  it  is  not  an  extravagant  prediction 
to  say  that  within  ten  years  it  will  equal  that  of 
Nevada." 

During  the  year  1879,  quartz  mining  in  gold  was 
unusuaUy  active ;  a  large  number  of  new  and  valu- 
able leads  were  discovered,  and  many  new  mills  and 
arastras  were  erected.  Rich  discoveries  have  stim- 
ulated old  prospectors  to  new  efforts,  and  new 
"finds"  are  constantly  reported.  Present  indica- 
tions omen  a  rapid  growth  of  the  quartz  mining 
interests.  Neither  prospecting  nor  development  of 
mines  has  been  thus  far  prosecuted  with  the  thor- 
oughness characteristic  of  Nevada,  Colorado  or 
Black  Hills  operators,  and  yet  it  is  true  that  the 


352  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS   OF   AMEBIC  A, 

main  range  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  has  here,  as  in 
other  parts  of  America,  rich  lands  of  gold-bearing 
quartz.  The  Semple  district,  near  Helena,  imme- 
diately upon  the  summit  or  divide  of  these  moun- 
tains, embraces  a  large  tract  of  country,  in  which 
the  most  remarkable  veins  of  quartz  have  been  dis- 
covered within  a  year  or  two.  This  district  shows 
the  greatest  progress  of  any  in  the  Territory.  Sil- 
ver quartz  mining  is  now  attracting  special  atten- 
tion. The  great  eagerness  for  gold,  in  times  past, 
led  to  a  neglect  of  silver  mining,  but  recent  efforts 
in  this  department  have  been  prolific  of  grand  re- 
sults. At  the  mining  camp,  Butte,  the  greatest  ac- 
tivity prevails.  Here,  marvelously  rich  mines  are 
located,  and  producing  immense  quantities  of  silver 
bullion.  Philipsburg  and  Glendale  are  opening  up 
finely,  and  the  present  rich  prospects  warrant  great 
expectations  of  large  returns  from  these  places. 
In  Jefferson  County,  exceedingly  rich  leads  have 
been  discovered.  The  poorer  and  baser  silver 
ores  have  been  utilized  by  the  erection  of  smelters 
in  Butte  and  Wickes,  in  Jefferson  County.  These 
ores  formerly  had  little  value,  owing  to  the  high 
Tates  of  transportation. 

A  second  "  Leadville  "  and  a  second  "  Black  Hills  " 
gold  mine,  within  an  hour's  ride  of  Helena,  are  re- 
ported. The  mines  of  Summit  Yalley  district  bid 
fair  to  rank  among  the  best  in  the  land.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  there  are  already  200  paying  mines  de- 
veloped in  the  camp. 

The  largest  single  nugget  of  gold  discovered  in 
Montana  in  1879,  weighed  47.80  ounces,  with  a  fine- 
ness of  957,  free  from  quartz  or  dirt,  a  solid  mass  of 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  353 

gold,  having  a  value  of  $947.77.  Many  nuggets 
varying  in  weight  from  a  half  ounce  to  28  ounces, 
were  also  found  during  that  year. 

The  first  mining  excitement  in  Montana,  began 
in  1863,  with  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Alder  Gulch, 
upon  which  Virginia  City  is  situated.  A  party  of 
prospectors  from  Bannock  City,  had  been  to  the 
Yellowstone  Kiver  and  Big  Horn  Mountains,  where 
they  met  with  hostile  Indians,  who  finally  drove 
them  back.  The  party  divided,  some  going  South, 
toward  Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  others  returning  to 
Bannock.  On  reaching  Alder  Creek,  the  latter 
stopped  for  dinner,  and  while  the  meal  was  in  pre- 
paration, one  of  the  number  panned  out  a  little  of 
the  gravel.  The  first  panful  yielded  thirty  cents, 
and  subsequent  ones  $2.  As  soon  as  the  discovery 
became  known,  there  was  an  immediate  stampede 
to  Alder  Gulch  from  all  parts  of  the  Territory,  and 
a  little  later,  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  At  first 
the  product  was  from  $100  to  $200  a  day,  for  each 
man,  and  in  the  first  five  years  after  its  discovery, 
Alder  Gulch  and  its  tributaries,  yielded  on  an  aver- 
age, eight  million  dollars  a  year.  The  total  product 
to  the  close  of  1876,  was  more  than  seventy  millions. 
In  1879  it  was  $600,000.  This  Gulch  was  the  richest 
ever  discovered  in  the  world. 

The  most  noted  placers  in  those  days  were  Last 

Chance,  where  Helena  now  stands,  "  Confederate," 

"Silver  Bow,"  "Ophir,"  and  "German"  gulches, 

"Elk    Creek,"  "Bear,"  "Lincoln,"  "Nelson"  and 

"Highland"  gulches,  and  "New  York,"  "Cave"  and 

"Montana  Bar,"  and  numerous  other  places  as  far 

west  as  Cedar  Creek,  in  the  Coeur  d'  Alene  Moun- 
ts 


354        LIFE  IN  THE  WILDS  OF  AMEBICA, 

tains.  In  the  fall  of  1866,  a  four  mule  team  hauled 
to  Fort  Benton,  for  transportation  down  the  Mis- 
souri Eiver,  two  and  one-half  tons  of  gold,  worth 
one  and  a-half  million  dollars,  nearly  all  of  which 
was  taken  from  Montana  Bar — a  piece  of  ground 
only  a  few  acres  in  extent — during  that  summer. 
There  has  been  altogether  shipped  from  Montana, 
at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  milhon  dollars  in  gold 
dust. 

The  best  paying  mines  at  present  are  the  "  Penob- 
scot," "Blue  Bird,"  "Belmont,"  "Hickey,"  "Glos- 
ter"  "Piegan,"  "  Whippoorwill,"  and  extensions  of 
the  "  Snow-Drift"  near  Helena,  "Bonanza  Chief," 
eight  miles  from  Helena,  and  others  all  over  the 
Territory  from  the  great  "  Cable"  lode  on  the  west, 
to  the  "  Iron  Eod"  and  other  rich  mines  in  the 
Trapper  and  Bryant  district  on  the  South.  There 
are  greater  bonanza  kings  among  the  Silver  men, 
than  among  the  gold  gentry  of  Montana.  The 
"Lexington,"  and  the  "Ahce"  are  very  rich  mines. 
There  are  a  hundred  silver  leads  at  Butte — the  Sil- 
ver City  of  Montana. 

In  earher  times  we  heard  and  read  a  good  deal 
concerning  the  "Eoad  Agents,"  an  organized  band 
of  murderers  and  robbers,  who  infested  the  moun- 
tain [passes,  and  way-laid  the  miner,  as  he  sought  a 
market  for  his  hard-earned  nuggets,  or  a  place  for 
obtaining  supphes.  Many  an  adventure  and  en- 
counter with  these  outlaws  has  been  reported. 
Many  a  time  have  they  brought  the  stage  coach  to 
a  halt,  and  robbed  it  of  its  treasure,  and  the  passen- 
gers of  their  money  and  valuables.  Occasionally 
they  ^^caught  a  Tartar"  and  paid  for  their  termerity 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  366 

and  crime  with  their  hves,  but  they  were  too  gen- 
erally successful  with  private  individuals.  Later ^ 
treasure  was  transported  under  the  protection  of  a 
military  guard,  but  the  system  of  robbery  and  mur- 
der set  at  defiance  the  officers  of  justice;  till  at 
length  an  organized  committee  of  safety,  known  aa 
the  Vigilants,  took  the  matter  under  consideration 
and  made  short  work  with  the  outlaws  whenever 
captured.  A  strong  rope  and  resolute  men,  without 
a  single  citation  from  Blackstone,  or  other  authority ^ 
suppressed  the  murderous  practice  very  speedily.- 
A  strong  rope,  a  stout  limb  and  strong  arms  proved 
most  effectual.  Helm,  Gallagher,  Parish,  Lyon,, 
Stinson,  and  a  few  others,  were  summarily  hung,  and 
the  Eoad  Agency  being  deemed  by  those  engaged, 
in  it,  quite  too  perilous  an  undertaking,  the  rascals, 
fled  the  country. 

There  are  fluvial  or  fluviatile  silver  mines — depos- 
its by  water  or  washings  of  rivers;  glacial  silver 
mines — deposited  by  glaciers;,  and  silver  deposits 
from  other  causes.  True  mountain-fissure  silver 
mines  were  hfted  when  the  mountain  chain  in 
which  they  occur,  was  Hfted,  by  a  force,  deep-seated 
in  the  earth's  molten  central  body,  and  so  were 
formed,  with  the  aid  of  concurring  and  succeeding 
events ;  the  veins,  necessarily  reaching  back  to  the 
then  surface  of  that  molten  body,  and  hence,  may 
be  regarded  as  inexhaustible. 

Silver  mining  is  not  an  industry  originating  in 
modern  times.  It  reaches  as  far  into  antiquity,  at 
least,  as  written  history.  Silver  was  used  largely, 
in  Abraham's  time,  in  the  days  of  Moses  and  Solo- 
mon, in  all  Jewish  time,  and  among  the  ancient  Eo- 


■356  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA 


mans,  Greeks  and  Egyptians.  There  were  silver 
'Coins  895  years  B.  C.  The  mines  of  Spain  yielded 
wealth  to  almost  every  nation  of  antiquity.  The 
Carthagenians  employed  40,000  men  in  these  mines, 
and  the  Eomans  employed  more  than  half  that 
number  in  the  same  work.  A  distinguished  Ger- 
man family  took  out  over  three  milhons  pounds. 
Hannibal  took,  from  one  mine,  half  a  million  a  year. 
Cato,  as  much  from  several  mines,  and  Helvetius 
twice  as  much.  It  is  stated  by  Pliny,  that  Cyrus 
^obtained,  by  his  Asiatic  conquests,  an  amount  equal 
to  7,720,000,000  pounds.  Vast  amounts  were  obtained 
as  tribute.  Herodotus  says  the  nations  subdued  by 
the  Persians,  except  the  Indies  and  Antioch,  paid  a 
yearly  tribute,  in  silver,  of  about  three  millions 
pounds.  For  fifty  years  after  the  second  Punic  war, 
the  conquered  city  paid  an  annual  tribute  of  nine 
thousand  pounds  of  silver.  Eome  contained  im- 
mense quantities  of  this  precious  metal. 

As  early  as  the  twelfth  century,  silver  mining  be- 
gan in  various  parts  of  Europe,  and  the  mines  then 
worked  have  been  yielding  ever  since.  The  Saxon 
Kings  were  for  centuries,  the  richest  monarchs  of 
the  world,  and,  now,  in  their  vaults,  are  immense 
amounts  of  silver. 

Pliny  states  that  in  his  time,  silver  mines  in  Spain 
were  penetrated  a  mile  and  a-half.  One  mine  in 
Hanover  is  worked,  to  the  depth  of  2,600  feet. 

All  readers  are  aware  of  the  great  wealth  of  South 
America,  in  silver  and  gold,  when  the  new  world 
was  discovered,  and  the  extent  to  which  the 
Spaniards  and  others  plundered  those  countries. 
According  to  Prescott,  Prince  Atahualpa,  made 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         357 

prisoner,  gathered,  to  pay  for  his  Kberty,  the  value 
of  three  and  a-half  miUion  pounds  of  gold,  and  51,- 
610  marks,  or  about  25,805  pounds  of  silver.  Their 
temples  and  noble  palaces  were  lavishly  ornamen- 
ted with  articles  of  these  metals.  Three  beams  of 
silver,  each  twenty  feet  long,  one  foot  broad,  and 
two  or  three  inches  thick,  intended  for  a  country 
seat  in  process  of  construction,  were  found  by  the 
soldiers  of  Pizarro.  One  of  their  great  silver  mines 
is  the  "Pasco."  From  the  year  1781  to  1827  the 
Pasco  works  smelted  4,967,710  pounds,  troy,  of  silver. 
The  value  yielded  in  1851,  was  about  400,000  pounds 
sterling.  Both  mining  and  reducing  has  there  always 
been  done  in  the  most  primitive  and  wasteful  man- 
ner. In  1852,  not  less  than  4,165  of  their  valuable 
mines  were  idle,  and  only  66  in  actual  operation. 
Notwithstanding  the  neghgence,  and  primitive  and 
wasteful  modes  of  mining,  by  the  people  of  South 
America,  the  silver  mines  in  Bolivia  and  Peru 
yielded,  from  the  period  of  their  discovery  to  the 
year  1845,  a  quantity  equal  to  155,839,180  pounds. 
The  grand  "Potosi"  of  Bolivia  was  discovered  in 
1545,  since  then  it  has  given  to  the  world  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  millions  pounds  of  silver.  In  ChiU, 
not  less  than  1,750,000  pounds  of  silver  were  mined, 
between  1846  and  1853. 

Attention  began  to  be  directed  to  the  silver  mines 
of  Mexico,  about  as  early  as  to  those  in  South 
America.  The  wealth  of  the  Montezumas  is  gen- 
erally known.  In  the  early  period  of  the  history  of 
Mexican  mining,  according  to  the  estimate  of  Baron 
Von  Humboldt,  the  mines  of  that  country  pro- 
duced about  half  a  milhon  pounds  per  annum.   Dur- 


358  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

ing  the  18th  century,  says  Lamborn,  the  production 
gradually  rose  to  4,600,000  pounds  per  annum.  This 
yearly  sum  decreased  during  the  war  of  Indepen- 
dence, but  within  the  last  ten  years,  it  appears  to 
have  been  higher  than  ever  before,  having,  accord- 
ing to  the  most  reliable  accounts,  reached  five  mil- 
lions pounds  sterling,  per  annum.  Humboldt's 
Essai  Politique,  states  that  the  mines  of  Mexico,  of 
only  a  few  central  spots,  yielded  not  less  than  $2,- 
027,952,000,  between  the  date  of  the  conquest  and 
803,  and  yet,  mining  and  reducing  have  always 
been  as  crude  in  Mexico  as  in  South  America,  and 
the  almost  perpetual  condition  of  war,  has,  of  course, 
utterly  prevented  mining  operations  much  of  the 
time. 

The  statistics  of  silver  mining  in  Mexico  and 
South  America,  notwithstanding  the  primitive  and 
wasteful  methods  of  work,  and  the  negligence  of 
miners,  are  especially  interesting  and  instructive  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States,  since  the  silver 
mines  of  the  Andes  and  of  the  Eocky  Mountains, 
including  the  Cordilleras  of  Mexico,  are  all  of  the 
same  great  chain,  and  were  formed  by  the  same 
grand  upheaval. 

In  the  United  States,  the  precious  metals,  as  the 
baser  metals  and  coal,  are  largely  concentrated,  un- 
der many  circumstances  that  favor  mining,  beyond 
the  experience  of  any  other  country.  In  the  hght 
of  history,  as  well  as  the  teachings  of  geology,  these 
silver  fissure  mines  are  seen  to  be  practically  inex- 
haustible— at  least  for  many  centuries.  The  pre- 
cious metal  products  of  the  West  are  not  much  less 
than  two  thousand  millions  of  dollars.    It  is  stated 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  359 

that  the  Pacific  coast  of  North  and  South  America, 
including  Mexico  and  the  Eocky  Mountains,  have 
given  to  the  world  one-half  of  all  the  gold  and  silver 
in  it,  and  an  amount  equal  to  all  the  gold  and  silver  ' 
coin  in  the  world,  excepting  China  and  India,  and 
yet  a  great  deal  has  been  lost  by  imperfect  reduc- 
tion, and  much  has  not  entered  into  general  statis- 
tics. The  yield  of  the  Pacific  slope  of  this  country, 
was,  in  1872,  $70,236,914;  in  1873,  $80,287,436,  and 
in  1874,  $100,000,000.  The  increase  has  been  mainly 
of  silver,  and  the  whole,  to  1875,  was  $1,681,386,186. 

Colorado — though  her  silver  mines  were  first  dis- 
covered in  1865,  and  only  at  a  single  spot,  and  the 
mining  area  expanding  ever  since,  is  yet  very  small, 
and  for  several  years  great  difficulties  were  en- 
countered— sent  out  to  the  world  in  less  than  ten 
years  $53,217,603 — not  estimating  the  large  part  of 
the  product  sent  for  reduction  to  other  countries 
and  States  and  that  part  taken  away  by  private 
hands,  or  which  has  entered  into  local  properties  and 
built  up  local  fortunes — some  of  which  have  been 
immense. 

Silver  mining  began  in  Utah,  in  1870,  and  yet  her 
silver  product  in  1874  was  over  seven  miUions  of 
dollars. 

In  1874  the  mines  of  Cahfornia  gave  to  the  world 
seventy- two  miUions  of  dollars  of  gold  and  silver. 

Over  the  vast  areal  extent  of  the  mountains,  most 
mines  are,  of  course,  distant  from  road  and  other 
f aciUties ;  the  veins  do  not  everywhere  reach  to,  or 
even  near,  the  surface,  and  they  do  not  aU,  nor  does 
the  same  vein  its  entire  length,  begin  the  rich  ore 
at  uniform  depth ;  it  foUows  that  the  cost  and  time 


\ 


360  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBIC  A, 

required  to  reach  ore,  are  not  everywhere  the  same. 
But  experience  shows  that  whenever  true  silver, 
Eocky  Mountain  veins,  are  penetrated  to  proper 
depth — some  very  great — the  rich  ores  are  reached, 
and,  in  the  main,  increase  in  richness  and  quantity 
in  the  ratio  of  the  progress  downward.  Every  year 
adds  proofs  of  the  United  States  Commissioner's, 
statement — Vol.  1872 — that  "mining  the  precious^ 
metals  is  now  not  only  more  profitable,  but  it  is  alsa 
more  safe  than  any  other  of  the  leading  industries,'*" 
and  in  Yol.  1873 — that  '^  the  treasures  of  these  Terri- 
tories are  not  exhausted, — on  the  contrary,  they 
have  hardly  been  discovered." 

As  already  observed,  geology  teaches  that  silver 
of  the  fissure  mines  could  have  come  only  from  the 
molten  centre,  and  that  the  fissures  were  opened  by 
tension  below,  and  that,  therefore,  the  veins  reack 
for  miles  of  depth — deeper  than  man  can  ever  go. 

No  industry  is  more  legitimate,  profitable  or  safe, 
than  that  of  precious  metal  mining  in  this  country. 
From  antiquity  to  the  present  time,  it  has  been  re- 
garded, by  intelligent  people,  as  at  least  among  the 
most  legitimate  industries.  The  great  mining  schools 
of  Europe  show  that  it  is  so  regarded  there.  These 
rank  among  the  best  institutions  of  learning.  In 
Austria,  old  miners  are  pensioned  by  the  govern- 
ment. The  same  views,  concerning  the  legitimacy 
of  the  business  in  the  West,  are  entertained,  cer- 
tainly, by  those  who  are  informed  concerning  it. 
There  is  not,  never  was,  and  never  will  be,  any  gold 
or  silver  of  any  considerable  amount,  not  obtained 
by  mining,  and  that  the  world  demands  these  preci- 
ous metals,  and  in  pretty  large  quantities,  too,  we- 
shall  see. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST. 


361 


We  send  gold  and  silver  out  in  every  direction, 
annually,  to  China,  over  seven  millions  of  dollars, 
to  Japan,  ten  millions,  and  large  amounts  to  every 
other  country  where  our  flag  goes.  In  the  ten  years- 
—from  1863  to  1873 — our  buUion  exports,  exclusive 
of  mail,  amounted  to  $885,865,184.  In  1873,  to  over 
eighty-four  millions    of  dollars.     During   the   ten 


IN  THE   MOUNTAINS. 

years  from  1862  to  1872,  we  increased  our  indebted- 
ness to  England  to  the  extent  of  $1,750,000,000;  aU 
indebtedness  to  foreign  countries  must  be  paid  in 
coin.  The  Bombay  Chamber  of  Commerce  reported 
that  for  the  previous  six  years,  India  had  absorbed 
an  annual  average  of  eleven  and-a-half  million 
pounds  sterhng  of  silver.  India's  silver-absorbing 
power  is  said  to  be  almost  unHmited,  and  the  quan- 


^2  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

tity  in  Oriental  countries  never  increases.  Yast 
quantities  are  used  for  ornamental  purposes.  How 
to  supply  'Hhe  drain  of  specie  to  the  East,"  is  re- 
:garded  by  experts  as  an  unmanageable  problem. 
General  business,  and  a  thousand  things  besides,  at 
home,  continually  require  more.  Every  home  has 
:more  or  less  silver  and  gold,  solid  or  plated.  A 
single  American  factory  uses  from  one  to  two  tons 
of  silver  weekly,  in  plating  table-ware.  In  1871,  the 
amount  consumed  in  the  arts,  in  the  United  States, 
was  over  sixteen  million  dollars.  Everywhere  are 
gold  and  silver — solid,  plated,  or  washed,  and  con- 
stantly these  beautiful  and  useful  metals  are  carried 
out  of  the  country,  lost  on  land  or  in  the  sea,  worn 
and  wasted  away. 

The  demand  for  the  precious  metals  increases 
with  the  growth  and  general  prosperity  of  the  people ; 
and  all,  or  nearly  all,  must  be  supplied  from  our 
mines.  No  other  industry  than  gold  and  silver  min- 
ing has,  in  so  short  a  time,  within  so  small  an  area, 
and  with  so  few  people  as  producers,  built  up  and 
established  so  great  and  profitable  a  business,  given 
to  the  world  so  much  wealth,  or  made  individual 
incomes  so  immense. 

^'Experienced  miners  know  very  weU,"  says  a 
weU-informed  journalist,  ''that  silver  mines  of  much 
value  are  only  found  in  mountainous  regions,  where 
the  indications  are  beyond  a  doubt.  Volcanic 
agencies  have,  in  some  remote  period,  been  exerted 
on  a  gigantic  scale.  Thus,  in  Mexico  and  the  rich  sil- 
ver leads  of  Utah,  the  evidence  of  an  upheaval  force 
that  elevated  extensive  ranges  of  frightfully  rugged 
mountain  ridges  from  profound  depths,  are  so  pos- 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         363 

•sible  and  probable,  as  to  be  admitted  at  sight,  even 
by  those  who  have  no  scientific  quaHfications  for 
guiding  them  to  that  conclusion.  It  seems  that 
silver  is  thrown  up  from  a  vast  depth  in  the  earth, 
where,  from  the  quantity  commingled  with  rocks  in 
a  condition  of  liquefaction,  the  quantity  from  which 
that  on  the  surface  was  derived  must  be  in  great 
abundance  in  its  primitive  state  below.  Scarcely 
more  than  superficial  scratchings  characterize  silver 
mining  in  the  West.  For  thousands  of  years  to 
come,  those  bold,  hard,  bleak  mountains  will  be  the 
scenes  of  human  industry  and  skill,  in  pursuit  of 
that  which  will  make  commerce  thrive  over  the 
whole  world." 

Most  of  the  greatest  silver  mines  reach  high 
elevations.  The  great  Potosi,  that  has  yielded  over 
a  thousand  millions,  is  worked  at  a  height  exceed- 
ing that  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  "  Pasco"  at  the  height 
of  14,000  feet.  Most  of  the  best  of  Colorado  silver 
mines  are  at  an  altitude  of  from  8,000  to  12,000  feet 
or  more  above  the  sea,  yet  in  the  vicinity  of  fertile 
parks  and  unfaihng  streams.  The  silver  mines  of 
Colorado,  Montana  and  Idaho,  are  believed  to  be 
the  great  mother  veins  of  the  continent,  in  extent 
equal,  and  m  richness  superior,  to  those  of  Mexico. 
Wherever  in  any  part  of  the  world,  silver  mines 
have  been  worked,  they  may  be  now ;  no  true  fissure 
mine  has  ever  been  exhausted.  The  whole  business 
of  silver  mining  consists  in  breaking  down  the  ore 
— having  penetrated  the  earth — roUing  it  to  the 
mill,  and  reducing  it. 

Black  sulphuret  of  silver  is  among  the  richest 
ores.     In  the  process  of  stoping  or  breaking  down 


364  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 

this  ore,  which  easily  crumbles,  falls  with  the  rest^ 
but  sifts  in  considerable  quantities  to  the  floor, 
there  mixes  with  the  loose  rocks  and  is  lost,  espec- 
ially where  workmen  fail  to  take  proper  precautions. 

Improvements  in  silver  mining  have  reduced  ex- 
penses about  one-half,  but  have  not  been  able  to 
overcome  the  water  in  mines,  worked  by  shafts. 
Often  in  such,  the  water  gains  on  the  pumps, — even 
the  most  powerful,  so  as  to  stop  the  taking  out  of 
ore  for  weeks,  and  no  skill  can  prevent  recurrence 
of  such  stoppages.  The  improvements, — railroads 
and  other  conveniences,  and  superior  skill  of  the 
workmen  of  our  day,  secure  great  advantages  that 
the  early  Western  miners  did  not  possess. 

Providence  has  blessed  our  country  above  all 
others,  with  the  most  magnificent  profusion  of  min- 
eral wealth. 

Besides  railroad  connections,  Montana  has  the 
Missouri  Eiver,  which  is  navigable  to  the  foot  of 
the  Great  Falls,  and  open  seven  months  of  the  year 
to  steamers,  with  a  channel  that  has  recently  been 
greatly  improved,  and  extended  above  the  Falls; 
after  a  portage  of  about  16  miles,  a  good  boating 
river  extends  200  miles  further,  directly  into  the 
very  heart  of  the  Territory. 

It  has  been  proposed  to  establish  a  new  mihtary 
post  about  half  way  between  Fort  Bufort  and  Assi- 
niboine,  near  the  Canada  line,  in  the  path  of  the 
Sioux,  who  come  from  Canada.  It  wiU  probably  be 
located  at  Wood  Mountain.  If  this  should  be  es- 
tabhshed  and  Assinniboine  completed,  the  defences 
of  the  Territory  against  hostile  Indians  will  be: 
ample. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         366 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Fair  Margins — Up  the  Yellowstone — A  Visit  to  the  Trappers'  Camps — 
An  Untrodden  Wilderness — Night  Visit  from  an  American  Lion — A 
Party  of  Indians — Their  Habits  and  Costumes — The  Indian's  Love 
of  Country— Hunters'  Life — A  Thrilling  Adventure— A  Grizzly  Bear 
— Hostile  Indians  Warning  the  Trappers — Trapping  Expeditions, 
Etc. 

Capt.  Johnson,  master  of  the  Elhott,  had  an  eye 
to  business,  and  had  contemplated  leaving  St.  Louis 
fully  two  months  prior  to  the  date  of  our  departure 
— which  had  been  delayed,  for  reasons  already  given 
— and  he  had,  in  pursuance  of  business  and  the  ex- 
pectation of  making  it  profitable,  provided  a  full 
supply  of  everything  that  would  pass  current  among 
the  trappers  and  Indians,  such  as  guns,  pistols, 
knives,  axes,  ammunition,  clothing,  provisions,  fan- 
ciful calicoes,  beads,  looking-glasses  and,  as  auc- 
tioneers say,  "  merchandise  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion." It  was  his  purpose  to  sell  fchese  things  to 
the  trappers  and  Indians  at  a  "fair  margin,"  and 
take  in  exchange  for  them,  the  furs  and  hides  that 
his  customers  had  accumulated,  and  to  make  an- 
other "fair  margin"  upon  the  articles  so  taken. 
There  are  traders  who  sometimes  take  "unfair 
margins,"  so  it  is  written,  and  I  am  not  prepared  to 
say  that  Johnson  was  not  one  of  them. 

The  fact  that  the  Blackfeet  and  Crow  Indians 
were  becoming  hostile  to  the  trappers  on  the  Yel- 
lowstone, induced  the  captain  to  make  the  trip  up 
that  stream,  before  ascending  the  Missouri.  Our 
party  consented  to  the  proposal. 


366  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

Passing  up  the  Yellowstone,  we  did  not  make  a 
permanent  landing  till  we  reached  the  mouth  of 
Powder  Eiver, — which  rises  in  the  Big  Horn  Moun- 
tains, in  the  central  part  of  Wyoming,  and  flows  in 
from  the  southwest.  Powder  Eiver  is  about  three 
hundred  miles  long  and  a  quarter-of-a-mile  wide. 

At  this  point  two  parties  were  formed,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  visiting  all  the  trappers'  camps  above  the 
head  of  navigation  on  the  Yellowstone  and  its  afflu- 
ents, and  notifying  the  trappers  of  the  proximity  of 
the  steamer,  and  the  fine  opportunities  presented 
for  trade  and  transportation.  It  was  arranged  that 
one  party  should  proceed  up  the  north  bank  of  the 
Yellowstone,  and  the  other  up  Powder  Eiver,  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Fort  Phil.  Kearney,  and  then,  after 
crossing  the  Big  Horn  Mountains,  descend  the  Big 
Horn  Eiver  to  its  confluence  with  the  Yellowstone. 
The  latter  was  an  undertaking  of  considerable  im- 
portance. Barstow,  Warrington  and  I  chose  to  ac- 
company the  expedition. 

A  trapper,  who  visited  the  boat  just  before  we 
started,  expressed  the  opinion  that  there  was  immi- 
nent danger  to  be  apprehended  from  the  ill-disposed 
savages,  but  our  plan  had  been  determined;  and 
the  first  party,  accordingly,  set  out, — all  well  armed. 
We  rode  with  them  through  the  narrow  strip  of 
timber  that  skirted  the  river.  Eeaching  the  open 
prairie,  we  took  leave  of  our  friends,  who,  undaunted 
by  the  discouraging  remarks  of  the  trapper,  went 
gaily  onward. 

As  we  emerged  from  the  dark  woods  the  fohage 
of  which  had  not  yet  faded  or  fallen,  with  the  ad- 
vance of  the  season,  we  beheld  a  land  of  beauty. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  367 

A  level  plain,  more  than  a  mile  in  width,  covered 
with  verdure,  was  succeeded  by  an  elevation  so 
gentle  and  regular  that  it  presented  an  unobstructed 
view  for  nearly  a  score  of  miles.  To  the  right,  and  to 
the  left  of  us,  the  timber-line  presented  many  miles 
of  beautiful  curves.  Herds  of  elks  and  antelopes 
were  seen  grazing  undisturbed,  like  cattle  upon  a 
meadow.  An  occasional  grove  dotted  the  surface 
of  the  prairie,  and  altogether  the  scene  was  one  of 
placid  beauty,  most  remarkable. 

Keturning  to  the  steamer,  we  crossed  to  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  river,  and  pursued  our  untrodden 
way  amid  the  wilderness.  Following  the  course  of 
the  Powder  Eiver,  we  pitched  our  first  camp  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mixpah — a  creek  that  flows  in  from 
the  west.  G-ame  being  abundant,  we  were  soon 
suppHed,  and  after  picketing  our  horses  and  arrang- 
ing for  the  night  watch,  we  repaired  to  our  tents. 
The  stillness  of  the  night  was  occasionally  broken 
by  the  hooting  of  an  owl,  the  sharp  barking  of  a 
fox,  or  the  dismal  howling  of  a  wolf.  At  midnight, 
Nichols  and  Carrigan,  who  were  on  guard,  detected 
the  sound  of  a  stealthy  step,  approaching  in  the 
rear  of  our  horses.  Peering  into  the  depths  of  the 
forest,  nothing  save  the  sombre  precincts  could  be 
seen  by  the  dim  Hght  of  the  moon,  but,  suddenly, 
a  scream,  at  once  the  loudest,  longest,  and  most 
terrible  ever  heard,  echoed  on  the  still  night.  We 
were  all  quickly  astir.  Our  horses  were  greatly 
frightened.  Another  moment,  an  American  lion, 
the  most  ferocious  of  aU  our  forest  animals,  except 
the  grizzly  bear,  had  fastened  its  terrible  claws 
upon  one  of  our  pack  mules.     The  poor  beast  reared 


368 

and  plunged  desperately  in  his  ejfforts  to  rid  himself 
of  his  enemy,  but  without  avail.  Hastily  springing 
to  the  spot,  we  placed  the  muzzles  of  our  guns 
almost  against  the  breast  of  the  panther,  and  fired 
with  deadly  effect.  As  soon  as  the  mule  was  re- 
lieved of  his  foe,  he  uttered  the  most  unearthly 
sound. 

'Taith,  an'  if  ye  had  done  that  a  little  sooner, 
■d'ye  see!  "  said  Carrigan. 

The  next  morning  we  went  forward  to  a  trappers' 
camp,  on  the  river.  The  trappers  were  glad  of  the 
opportunity  offered,  and  began  at  once  to  make 
preparations  to  transport  their  peltries  to  the  boat. 
The  trappers  are  a  hale,  hearty,  happy  and  hospit- 
able class  of  people.  While  we  were  at  this  camp^ 
a  party  of  Grosventre  Indians,  about  twenty  in 
number,  passed,  in  the  direction  of  the  village, 
which  was  eastward  on  the  Little  Missouri.  There 
were  several  women  and  children  in  the  party,  all 
of  whom  rode  a  la  clothes-pin,  and  were  very  expert 
of  the  management  of  their  fleet  little  ponies — more 
notable  for  lieetness  than  for  beauty ;  '^braves  "  with 
their  guns  across  their  knees,  and  squaws  with  their 
pappooses  bound  on  their  backs  in  httle  baskets, 
which  greatly  resembled  bark  quivers.  Some  of 
these  squaws  were  very  comely  in  appearance,  and 
one  of  them,  in  particular,  was  pronounced  by  War- 
rington— a  man  of  great  taste,  as  we  know,  very 
pretty,  and  was  evidently  so  regarded  by  the  young 
man,  who  rode  just  in  advance  of  her.  She  may 
have  been  a  bride  on  a  bridal  tour,  for  ought  we 
know.  The  Indian  belle  before  she  retires  greases 
her  hair  and  face  with  liquid  marrow  from  a  bone ; 


AND   WONDERS   OF   THE   WEST.  369 

ihe  hair  is  then  braided, — in  the  prevaihng  style,  no 
•doubt.  In  this  manner  the  squaws  of  the  Sioux, 
Cheyenne  and  some  other  tribes  wear  theirs ;  in  the 
morning,  the  Indian  maiden  undoes  the  braid  of 
the  evening,  which  has  given  to  her  hair  a  wavy 
appearance,  and  permits  it  to  faU  about  her  shoul- 
ders. Frizzes  have  not  yet  come  into  vogue.  The 
prevailing  style  of  face  painting  is  to  make  a  general 
-application  of  chrome  yeUow  with  finishing  touches 
of  vermiUion,  but  often  only  a  httle  rouge  is  em- 
ployed. Her  dress,  other  than  the  indispensable 
blanket,  ordinarily  comprises  buckskin  leggings  and 
moccasins  and  a  calico  dress — sack  pattern,  with  an 
opening  for  the  head,  and  with  short,  flowing  sleeves. 
"I  suppose,"  says  a  very  sensible  writer,  "we  have 
but  the  faintest  conception  of  the  strength  of  the 
Indian's  attachment  to  the  country  he  has  long  fre- 
quented. The  white  man  loves  the  haunts  of  his 
childhood.  In  the  earliest  years  of  his  hfe,  Nature 
is  the  play-fellow  of  the  child,  his  intimate  friend 
and  his  teacher.  His  converse  is  with  trees,  grasses 
and  flowers,  with  clouds  and  skies,  zephyr  and  gale, 
brook,  river  and  ocean,  hiU,  mountain  and  meadow, 
with  meUow  sunhght,  with  cahn  and  queenly  moon 
and  solemn  stars.  The  living  things  have  also  been 
taken  into  the  companionship  by  the  child,  or  have 
in  one  way  or  another,  borne  close  relation  to  his 
interests.  But  as  the  white  child  approaches  ma- 
turity, he  exchanges  the  simple  and  poetic  pleasures 
ministered  by  Nature,  for  the  pursuits  of  busy  hfe. 
These  too  often  remove  him  from  the  contemplation 
of  Nature,  and  almost  smother  the  memory  of  the 
influences  she  shed  upon  his  opening  mind. 

24 


370 

The  Indian,  on  the  other  hand,  is  all  his  life  in 
intimate  communion  with  Nature,  attent  to  all  her 
voices  and  observant  of  all  her  moods.  Through  all 
his  years  he  is,  as  much  as  in  his  childhood,  devoted 
to  the  study  of  the  outer  world,  and  dependent  upon 
this  pursuit  for  all  pleasures  analogous  to  those 
which  we  derive  from  poetry,  art,  and  all  the  re- 
sources of  refined  society.  The  world  is  his  gallery 
and  library,  and  God  the  author,  the  poet,  the  artist. 
Therefore,  that  part  of  the  world,  in  which  he  was- 
born  and  lived  and  ranged,  he  loves  with  passionate 
affection,  and  reverences  with  superstitious  awe. 
We  cannot  wonder  at  this.  The  least  attractive 
landscapes  present  many  phases  of  beauty.  Even 
sandy  plains  and  mountains  of  bald  and  rugged  rock 
appear  in  the  blue  distance,  or  when  variegated  by 
hght  and  shade,  or  glorified  by  the  rich  tints  of 
sunset,  unspeakably  beautiful.  But  all  the  attrac- 
tive scenery  of  this  wide  continent  has  lain  under 
the  eye  of  the  Indian.  The  lakes,  rivers,  moun- 
tains, woods  and  plains  have  been  his  delight,  and 
he  has  loved  them  better  than  we  love.  When  in 
grand  forest,  sunlight  and  wind  playing  with  the 
tree  tops,  wove  golden  lace  work  on  green  or  sombre 
ground;  where  the  bird  sang  and  timid  creatures 
browsed,  the  Indian  made  his  hunting-ground  and 
home.  Here  he  hved  and  roamed,  when  the  woods 
were  decked  with  dew  drops  glittering  in  summer 
sunshine,  or  brilhant  with  the  ice  gems  of  winter." 

The  hunter  finds  strange  fascination  in  the  wild 
life  he  leads  on  the  great  plains  and  on  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Two  results,  I  think  flow  from  hfe  in 
the  open  air, — man  gains  a  real  and  desirable  sesthe- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         371 

tic  culture,  and  he  thus  develops  self-rehance  and 
strength.  The  hunter  battles  with  wind  and  storm, 
braves  many  forms  of  danger,  and  becomes  manly 
and  self -poised.  A  hardier,  more  robust,  manlier 
class  of  men  than  you  find  in  mountain  hut  in  aR 
this  region  from  British  America  to  Mexico,  you 
may  challenge  the  world  to  produce.  Nearly  aU 
these  men  are  Americans.  The  superior  enterprise 
and  boldness  of  our  people  are  apparent  in  all  this 
frontier  land. 

The  wild  hfe  of  the  West  is  as  full  of  every  ele- 
ment of  interest  and  of  danger,  and  far  freer  than  that 
of  the  sailor.  Nature  exerts  a  strange  power  upon 
these  wild,  brave  men.  They  are  obHged  to  observe 
her  in  all  her  aspects,  by  day  and  by  night,  and  they 
become  enamored  of  the  freedom  of  the  lot  that 
affords  them  such  sweet  fellowship  with  her.  It  is 
a  mistake  to  believe  the  Indian  incapable  of  feehng 
the  same  spell.  He  is  in  a  high  degree  susceptible 
to  the  influences  of  Nature. 

A  certain  Indian  village  built  upon  a  high  butte 
or  mesa  in  Arizona,  is  remote  from  water  and  from 
the  lands  tiUed  by  its  inhabitants.  By  instructions 
from  Washington,  the  agent  of  the  tribe  to  which 
the  village  belongs,  used  every  inducement  to  per- 
suade the  people  to  build  a  new  town  near  the  water 
and  the  grain  fields.  "  Our  fathers  dwelt  upon  this 
hiU  and  saw  from  it  the  yellow  sun ;  here  we,  too, 
wiU  Kve  and  die."  This  was  the  final  answer.  The 
Moquis  of  that  village  continue  to  this  day  to  carry 
from  a  distance  in  earthen  jars,  the  water  that  sup- 
phes  their  home.  Similarly  the  roving  tribes  are 
attached  to  their  hunting  grounds. 


372  Llf^E   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

The  next  morning  we  were  again  upon  our  way^ 
in  the  valley  of  the  Mixpah.  Toward  night  we 
crossed  the  Divide  on  the  east,  and  again  descended 
into  the  valley  of  the  Powder  Eiver.  Our  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  small  herd  of  buffaloes,  feeding 
upon  the  plain,  about  a  mile  to  our  right.  Merid- 
eth  and  Hervey,  neither  of  whom  had  ever  been  very 
successful  in  killing  buffaloes,  resolved  to  try  their 
luck,  and  agreeing  to  meet  us  at  a  trapper's  camp, 
situated  between  the  forks  of  the  Big  and  Little 
Powder  Kivers,  they  started  off.  We  reached  the 
•camp  an  hour  before  sundown,  and  were  received 
with  the  hearty  welcome  which  might  have  been 
expected  from  this  ever  hospitable  class  of  people. 

Night  came  and  passed,  but  our  companions  had 
not  arrived.  Toward  noon  of  the  next  day  we  went 
in  search  of  them,  being  accompanied  by  several  of 
the  trappers.  We  followed  our  trail  back  to  the 
spot  where  we  had  separated  from  our  friends ;  then 
turning  to  the  right,  we  followed  their  trail.  The 
buffaloes  had  fled,  in  solid  column,  to  a  range  of 
rocky  hills,  that  extend  to  the  river.  One  of  the 
trappers  suggested  that  in  the  hills,  grizzly  bears 
were  numerous,  and  that  the  missing  men  might 
have  chosen  to  try  their  luck  with  a  grizzly,  that 
by  bringing  in  a  bear's  foot,  they  would  redeem 
their  reputation  as  expert  hunters. 

Passing  onward  to  the  hills,  we  found  that  the 
men  had  pursued  the  buffaloes  hither.  These  hills 
are  not  formed  into  ridges  and  slopes,  but  are  iso- 
lated, cone-shaped  elevations,  separated  by  numer- 
ous deep  hollows,  that  seem  to  interlace  in  the 
manner  of  net-work.    Here  the  rocks  rise  on  either 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  373 

side  in  perpendicular  walls,  three  or  four  hundred 
feet  high  and  form  dark  and  gloomy  canons. 

We  had  advanced  about  a  mile  into  these  hills — 
which  cover  an  area  of  about  twelve  or  eighteen 
miles  in  extent — when  we  came  to  a  place  where  the 
trail  separated  into  two  forks.  We  were  assured  by 
the  trappers,  and  by  our  own  hunters,  whose  pow- 
ers of  observation  certainly  seemed  very  wonderful 
to  us  then,  unskilled  as  we  were  in  woodcraft — that 
all  the  buffaloes,  with  a  single  exception,  had  turned 
abruptly  to  the  left  and  passed  down  a  dark  defile 
in  the  direction  of  the  river,  while  one  which  had 
been  pursued  by  the  horsemen,  had  kept  directly  on 
in  a  westerly  direction. 

We  had  gone  about  half  a  mile  further,  when  we 
espied  a  full-grown  grizzly  bear,  feasting  upon  the 
carcass  of  a  horse.  We  were  now  seriously  alarmed 
for  the  fate  of  our  lost  friends.  After  picketing  our 
horses  at  some  distance  from  the  place  where  the 
bear  was,  we  cautiously  advanced  to  attack  the  ani- 
mal. Upon  near  approach,  it  was  observed  that  the 
bear  had  evidently  appeased  its  hunger  and  was  now 
lying  upon  the  ground.  When  within  about  thirty 
yards  of  him,  one  of  the  hunters  hurled  a  stone  at 
him.  At  this  he  quickly  rose  from  his  position, 
glaring  upon  us  and  uttering  fierce  and  angry  growls 
and  appeared  most  formidable.  He  was  lean,  and 
the  loss  of  large  patches  of  long  hair  and  fur,  to- 
gether with  his  attitude  and  open  jaws,  all  combined 
to  render  him  an  object  of  terror  to  those  of  us  who 
had  never  before  been  placed  in  a  similar  position  of 
peril.  The  beast  started  towards  us,  but  a  well-di- 
rected ball  from  our  hunter's  rifle  instantly  brought 


374  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

him  to  the  earth,  and  a  volley  of  bullets  riddled  his 
body.    It  was  one  of  the  largest  of  the  species. 

We  discovered  the  carcass  of  the  buffalo  which 
had  taken  this  direction,  and  we  later  came  to  the 
spot  where  our  friends  had  passed  the  night.  It 
was  in  a  deep  chasm,  between  high,  perpendicular 
walls  of  rock — a  level  of  small  extent.  We  fired 
our  guns  repeatedly  and  shouted  as  loudly  as  pos- 
sible, but  the  echoes  of  our  voices  was  the  only  an- 
swer that  came  back.  We  continued  the  search  till 
night,  following  the  trail  throi^igh  many  an  intricate 
and  gloomy  canon,  into  which  the  sun's  rays  never 
penetrate,  and  we  encamped  in  the  best  locality  we 
could  s.elect,  but  which  was  dismal  enough.  It  be- 
came very  evident  that  our  companions  had  lost 
their  way,  and  had  been  unable  to  extricate  them- 
selves from  the  labyrinth. 

The  next  morning,  we  were  early  astir,  and  fol- 
lowing the  trail  which  led  across  the  divide  in  the 
directign  of  Tongue  Eiver,  through  the  grizzly  hiUs ; 
at  length  we  came  to  a  level  slope,  along  which  the 
trail  ran  in  an  easterly  direction.  We  had  pro- 
ceeded but  a  short  distance  along  the  foot  of  the 
hiUs,  when  we  were  startled  by  loudyeUs,  which  we 
recognized  as  those  of  Indians. 

It  required  but  a  few  moments  to  bring  us  to  the 
scene  of  action,  when  the  whole  situation  was  re- 
vealed at  a  glance.  Immediately  in  front  of  us  was 
an  open  space,  and  beyond  this  was  a  perpendicular 
rocky  waU,  facing  the  north,  about  thirty  or  forty 
feet  in  height,  and  perhaps  half  a  mile  in  length.  At 
the  foot  of  the  wall,  and  at  an  acute  angle  which 
formed  a  shelter  on  the  right,  Merideth  and  Hervey 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  375 

iad  posted  themselves,  while  a  score  of  Indians 
were  menacing*  their  position,  and  yelling  like  so 
many  devils.  Just  as  we  arrived  in  sight,  and 
while  we  were  yet  unperceived  by  either  friends  or 
foes,  the  hostile  hand  divided,  nearly  half  the  num- 
ber riding  rapidly  in  our  direction  with  the  inten- 
tion, evidently,  of  charging  upon  our  friends'  left. 
The  Indians  swung  round  in  a  graceful  hand  gallop, 
tiU  they  were  within  fifty  or  sixty  yards  of  us,  and 
at  a  point  directly  between  us  and  our  friends. 
They  never  even  looked  in  our  direction,  their  at- 
tention being  fixed  upon  their  intended  victims. 
The  Indians  could  have  shot  the  men  had  they 
-chosen,  but  it  was  evident  that  for  some  reason, 
either  for  inflicting  great  cruelties  or  retaining 
them  as  hostages,  they  chose  to  capture  them  alive. 

The  savages  had  little  in  fact  to  fear  from  the 
men,  for  they  each  had  but  a  single  round  of  am- 
munition, and  this  they  had  resolved  to  hold  till 
the  last  moment,  and  sell  their  hves  as  dearly  as 
possible.  The  band  being  divided  by  the  last 
named  manoeuvre,  it  was  a  favorable  moment  for 
our  party  to  appear,  and  dashing  forward  with  deaf- 
ening shouts,  and  violent  demonstrations,  we  pre- 
sented ourselves  betw^een  the  parties.  The  Indians 
were  taken  by  surprise  and  without  a  fatal  shot  by 
either  side,  the  Indians  dashed  away  with  the  fleet- 
ness  of  a  herd  of  startled  deer,  and  vanished  as 
quickly  from  sight,  as  a  village  of  prairie  dogs,  at  the 
sound  of  the  hunter's  rifle.  The  savages  had  doubt- 
less exaggerated  our  numbers  and  deemed  discre- 
tion the  better  part  of  valor. 

Our  companions  were  most  agreeably  surprised 


376  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 

by  our  timely  appearance.  As  we  had  surmised^ 
they  had  lost  their  reckoning,  and  were  in  the  piti- 
able plight  of  being  destitute  of  ammunition,  or 
provisions,  surrounded  by  hostile  Indians,  and  by 
ferocious  wild  beasts. 

We  started  on  in  the  direction  of  the  trappers'* 
camp,  as  it  was  imperatively  necessary  that  the- 
companions  of  our  trapper  guide,  should  at  once  be 
warned  of  the  proximity  of  hostile  Indians ;  and  it 
was  also  necessary  for  our  own  safety,  that  we 
should  move  forthwith  and  with  great  caution,  in 
order  to  avoid  attracting  the  attention  of  the  In- 
dians, who,  we  confidently  believed,  were  assembling 
in  large  numbers  in  our  immediate  neighborhood, 
and  would  attempt  to  intercept  our  return  to  the^ 
camp.  It  now  lacked  but  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to 
sunset.  As  soon  as  the  shadows  of  night  should 
fall,  we  could  move  with  comparative  safety  from 
the  Indians,  as  they  will  rarely  engage  in  a  conflict 
at  night,  however  small  the  number  of  their  ene- 
mies. 

Pushing  on  as  rapidly  as  possible  in  a  southerly 
direction,  we  soon  entered  the  Grizzly  Hills.  It- 
was  a  moonless  night,  but  the  little  stars  shone 
brightly,  and  by  the  starlight  we  were  able  to 
pursue  our  way.  Soon  we  reached  the  bed  of  a 
small  creek,  which  fortunately  for  us  was  dry ;  fol- 
lowing its  course,  which  led  between  towering  walls- 
of  conglomerate  and  calcareous  rocks,  we  came  to 
a  pool  of  clear,  cold  water,  of  which  we  were  in 
great  need,  but  alas,  for  appearances,  the  water  was 
so  salt  that  neither  men  nor  horses  could  drink 
of  it. 


^78  LIFE    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

It  was  early  dawn,  when  we  stopped  for  that  rest 
we  so  much  required.  On  either  side,  the  walls 
of  a  gloomy  canon  rose  to  dizzy  heights  above 
us.  It  was  a  comparatively  safe  retreat.  After  a 
few  hours  of  repose  we  pursued  our  toilsome  march, 
and  at  length  arrived  at  the  trappers'  camp. 

Trapping  expeditions  are  usually  organized  under 
the  direction  of  some  trapper  of  great  experience, 
and  one  who  has  some  capital,  as  it  becomes  neces- 
sary for  him  to  furnish  outfit  to  the  improvident 
members  of  the  expedition.  These  are,  however, 
frequently  the  best  men  in  the  party,  when  they 
have  at  last  established  their  quarters  near  the 
haunts  of  the  beaver ;  but  when  among  dissolute 
companions,  in  some  western  frontier  towns,  their 
money  shps  through  their  fingers.  Some  of  it  is 
expended  for  the  vilest  whiskey,  but  the  larger  part 
generally  finds  its  way  into  the  pockets  of  the  gamb- 
Hng  thieves,  who  haunt  all  the  places,  to  which  our 
trappers  resort,  and  hang  over  their  victims  like 
birds  of  prey,  until  they  have  fleeced  them  of  their 
last  cent. 

Trapping  expeditions  vary  in  size,  from  two  or 
three,  to  thirty  or  forty  individuals,  and  occasionally 
a  hardy  and  daring  mountaineer  will,  to  use  his 
expression — ''go  it  on  his  own  hook."  Sometimes 
the  members  of  an  expedition  share  equally  with 
each  other.  Sometimes,  like  sailors  in  the  whahng 
service,  the  trappers  have  their  ''lays"  or  shares, 
greater  or  less  according  to  skill,  experience  and 
position.  As  soon  as  the  expedition  has  arrived  at 
the  proper  locahty,  and  "signs"  are  observed,  the 
traps  are  at  once  set,  and  business  begins. 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  379 

The  animal,  the  fur  of  which  is  the  most  valuable 
•snd  the  most  eagerly  sought  by  the  trapper,  is  the 
beaver — Castor  Americanus.  The  fore  feet  of  the 
animal  are  armed  with  powerful  claws,  which  enable 
it  to  burrow  in  the  earth  and  also  to  climb  with  fa- 
-cihty,  and  to  hold  any  object  he  may  propel  through 
the  water  to  his  dwelling.  Their  hind  feet  are  pal- 
mated  or  webbed  like  those  of  a  goose,  and  by  this 
pecuHarity  of  structure,  they  are  enabled  to  move 
through  the  water  with  great  celerity.  The  tail  is 
elongated  and  flattened  horizontally  like  a  trowel. 
With  this  most  useful  and  cunning  part  of  the  body, 
he  mixes  the  mortar  used  in  his  dwelling,  carries 
the  mortar  upon  it,  and  uses  this  natural  trowel  in 
the  building  of  his  abode.  The  beaver  is  gregarious, 
Hving  in  villages,  which  sometimes  number  five  or 
six  hundred  animals.  Their  dams  are  remarkably 
ingenious  contrivances,  and  are  frequently  of  great 
length.  They  are  usually  built  obhquely  across  the 
stream,  to  present  a  greater  resistance  to  it. 

The  traps  in  which  the  beavers  are  caught,  are  set 
under  the  water.  The  common  steel  trap  is  most 
generally  used  in  their  capture.  Great  caution  must 
be  exercised  in  setting  the  trap,  and  he  who  per- 
forms the  task,  must  expose  himself  to  the  icy  chilli- 
ness of  the  water. 

Among  the  men,  who  have  visited  the  region  in 
which  we  now  find  ourselves,  are  Kit  Carson,  Brid- 
gers,  Grant,  Young,  Fitzpatrick  and  many  others, 
whose  sagacity  and  hardihood,  have  won  great  repu- 
diation for  them. 


380  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 


CHAPTEE  XXY. 

PreparatioDS  for  Trading  with  the  Trappers— Following  a  Trail — In- 
dians on  the  War-Path — Hasty  Departure— Fort  C.  F.  Smith — 
The  Mountains  of  Wyoming — An  Inaccessible  Mountain  Kange  — 
Mountain  Sheep — Departure  of  the  Steamer — A  Trapper's  State- 
ment— A  Day  of  Trouble — An  Indian  Plot — A  Little  Act  of  Gener- 
osity Kewarded — A  Long  Journey — Wild  Animals. 

Our  arrival  at  the  camp  was  most  opportune.  The 
large  number  of  trappers  assembled  there,  were  very- 
anxious  to  dispose  of  their  furs,  of  which  they  had 
large  quantities,  and  when  informed  of  the  fact  that 
the  boat  was  lying  at  the  Eapids,  on  the  Yellowstone, 
and  that  they  might  there  dispose  of  their  entire 
stock,  and  obtain  in  exchange  goods,  of  whatever 
kind  they  might  desire,  arrangements  were  at  once 
made  to  transport  it  all  to  that  point. 

Many  of  the  trappers  had  cached  their  furs,  in  the 
belief  that  search  would  be  made  for  them  by  the 
Indians,  and  it  became  necessary  to  visit  these  de- 
serted camps  to  exhume  and  pack  the  furs.  From 
the  manifest  dissatisfaction  of  the  Indians,  and  the 
hostility  already  evinced  by  them,  it  was  probable 
that  collisions  would  occur  between  them  and  the 
trappers,  during  their  journey  to  the  river. 

We  left  the  camp  in  company  with  the  trappers, 
and  during  the  whole  of  the  first  day  proceeded  in  a 
northeasterly  direction,  stopping  at  noon  only  long 
enough  to  rest  our  horses.  Toward  night,  two  of 
our  scouts  came  in,  and  reported  that  they  had  found 
the  trail  of  a  small  war  party,  which  they  beheved 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE    WEST.  381 

to  have  been  made  by  Blackfeet  Indians,  who  had 
pursued  a  southerly  course. 

Among  the  most  wonderful  things  connected 
with  Western  hfe,  is  the  great  skill  and  re- 
markable powers  of  perception,  which  experienced 
trappers  display  in  trailing.  In  this  branch  of  their 
calling,  they  attain  a  proficiency  that  is  most  sur- 
prising. They  not  only  readily  distinguish  between 
the  trails  made  by  wild  animals  of  various  kinds, 
-and  by  the  Indians,  but  they  can,  with  unerring  cer- 
tainty, determine  the  very  tribe  to  which  the  latter 
belong ;  and  not  only  this,  but  they  as  readily  dis- 
tinguish between  the  war  and  hunting  parties  of 
any  particular  tribe,  and  accurately  determine  how 
old  any  trail  may  be,  whether  made  by  man  or  beast, 
so  preternaturally  keen  do  their  senses  become,  by 
the  habit  of  close  observation. 

Our  course  was  in  the  direction  of  the  Tongue 
Eiver,  a  tributary  of  the  Yellowstone.  We  en- 
camped upon  its  banks,  but  before  the  hour  for  re- 
tiring, one  of  our  scouts,  reported  that  there  was  a 
village  of  Blackfeet  Indians,  less  than  a  mile  dis- 
tant. As  these  Indians  were  known  to  be  on  the 
war-path,  we  deemed  it  prudent  to  depart  forthwith. 
While  we  were  bringing  up  our  horses,  a  second 
scout  came  in,  with  the  intelligence  that  the  Indian 
village  numbered  about  thirty  lodges,  located  in  a 
large  grove  of  cottonwoods,  and  that  the  band,  in- 
cluding probably  fifty  warriors,  were  engaged  in  one 
of  their  wildest  revels.  We  mounted  our  horses  ani 
started  off  in  the  direction  of  Fort  C.  F.  Smith. 
The  probabihty  that  a  large  body  of  hostile  Indians 
would  soon  be  upon  our  trail,  added  celerity  to  our 
isteps. 


382  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

Fort  C.  F.  Smith  is  located  on  Big  Horn  Eiver^ 
about  fifty  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Yel- 
lowstone. To  reach  it  from  the  point  at  which  we 
had  at  last  encamped,  would  require  a  journey  of 
seventy  miles,  directly  off  from  the  route  to  the 
Kapids;  the  trappers  preferred  to  incur  the  perils, 
to  which  they  might  be  exposed  in  proceeding  di- 
rectly thither,  rather  than  to  go  so  far  out  of  their 
way  to  obtain  an  escort,  while  we  preferred  to  go  to 
the  fort,  and,  therefore,  after  a  hurried  consultation,, 
three  of  us  took  our  leave  of  the  brave  Uttle  com- 
pany, and  proceeded  on  our  way.  We  reached  the 
fort  at  sunset  of  the  third  day,  and  were  received 
with  marked  consideration  by  the  officers  in  com- 
mand. Here,  Barstow  met  an  officer,  formerly  of 
Major  Hatch's  battalion,  with  whom  he  had,  sev- 
eral years  ago,  formed  a  very  agreeable  acquain- 
tance at  Manitoba,  and  fortunately  for  us,  this 
officer  was  about  to  proceed  with  dispatches  to  Fort. 
Phil.  Kearney — in  the  Big  Horn  Mountains,  of  Wyo- 
ming, to  which  point  we  also  desired  to  go,  and  we,, 
therefore,  accompanied  him,  arriving  there  after  a 
toilsome  journey  of  nearly  five  days. 

In  grandeur  and  subHmity,  the  mountains  of  Wy- 
oming are  unsurpassed  by  any  on  the  continent. 
We  gaze  with  rapture  upon  a  landscape  of  undulat- 
ing hills  covered  with  a  rich  growth  of  waving, 
golden  grain,  and  the  eye  follows  with  enthusiasm,, 
the  tiny  silver  brook  that  winds  along  its  borders ;. 
but  the  contemplation  of  the  massive  rocky  walls, 
that  tower  above  you  to  the  dizzy  height  of  thous- 
ands of  feet,  awakens  in  the  soul  a  deep  sense  of  awe 
almost  of  trepidation.     These  awe-inspiring  heights 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  38B- 

upon  which  we  now  look,  are  the  mountains  of  Wy- 
oming, with  their  snow-capped  peaks,  leaping  cas- 
cades, and  picturesque  valleys. 

"  It  would  seem,"  says  Eousseau,  '^  that,  in  rising 
above  the  habitations  of  man,  we  leave  behind  all 
low  and  earthly  sentiments,  and  in  proportion  as  we 
approach  the  etherial  regions,  the  soul  contracts 
somethmg  of  their  unalterable  purity. "  ' '  All  natural 
phenomena,"  says  Saussure,  ''there  present  them- 
selves with  a  grandeur  and  majesty  of  which  the 
inhabitant  of  the  plain  has  no  idea.  The  winds  and 
aerial  electricity,  act  there  with  an  astonishing 
power.  Clouds  are  formed  under  the  very  eye  of 
the  observer,  and  he  sees  a  tempest  break  out  un- 
der his  feet,  which  devastates  the  plains,  while  the 
sun  is  shining  around  him,  and  the  sky  is  serene 
and  clear  over  his  head." 

Eaymond  thus  apostrophizes  the  grand  mountain 
peaks : 

"  Deserts  of  mountains,  you,  hke  the  ocean,  set 
the  boundaries  of  nations ;  you  have  your  part  also 
in  the  continual  circulation  of  its  waters;  you  com- 
pel us  to  bow  down  before  the  imposing  spectacle 
of  your  grandeurs;  but  how  much  less  terrible  is 
your  majesty,  and  how  restful  for  weary  man  is  its 
contemplation!  You  fill  all  souls  with  the  subtle 
influences  of  a  splendid  domain  which  is  metamor- 
phosed at  every  step.  You  vivify  and  you  calm. 
What  pure  and  beneficent  enjoyment  you  confer! 
What  hving  and  eloquent  proof  you  furnish,  of  the 
httleness  of  the  idols  which  luxury  has  in  honor 
among  men,  when  you  spread  out  before  them  the 
immensity  of  your  perspectives  and  the  severe  mas- 


384 

ses  of  your  eternal  pyramids ;  when  man  sees  from 
your  summits,  the  smoke  of  great  cities,  rise  here 
and  there  from  countries  which  cringe  at  your  feet. 
What  architect  could  ever  imitate  your  magnifi- 
cence, and  where  are  the  treasures  that  could  re- 
ward him?  All  the  sons  of  men  joining  in  the  work, 
could  not  build  a  single  tower  as  high  as  your  hum- 
blest peaks. 

The  elder  nations,  setting  you  apart  from  the 
rest  of  the  world,  considered  you  the  only  worthy 
dwelling-place  of  the  gods,  and  indeed  your  peaks, 
half  hidden  in  the  clouds,  seem  like  signals  spring- 
ing from  the  earth  to  point  out  to  man  the  road  to 
heaven.  Nature  alone  is  capable  of  breaking  the 
monotony  of  the  globe  by  such  edifices,  and  without 
asking  the  slighest  aid  from  us,  she  has  herself, 
opened  the  doors  of  your  valleys,  as  if  she  took 
pleasure  in  calling  men  to  the  temples  in  which  she 
appears  to  them,  with  so  much  power  and  beauty. 
In  my  admiration,  therefore,  it  is  of  little  conse- 
quence that  these  subUme  heights  are  impassable 
walls ;  I  boldly  rank  them  among  the  most  precious 
gifts  that  the  human  race  owes  to  the  beneficence 
of  the  Creator." 

*'The  most  powerful  European  nations  are  nour- 
ished on  the  slopes  of  mountains,  and  all  those 
great  national  migrations,  which,  in  the  course  of  cen- 
turies, have  changed  the  political  face  of  the  world, 
and  have  exerted  the  most  influence  upon  the  des- 
tinies of  the  human  race,  have  gone  out  in  sight  of 
their  eternal  snows." 

The  Big  Horn  Mountains,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Fort   Phil.   Kearney,  extend  through  nearly  two 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         385 

degrees  of  latitude.  The  range  forms  the  Divide 
between  Powder  and  Big  Horn  Rivers,  and  culmin- 
ates in  Clouds'  Peak,  whose  lofty  summit  is  cares- 
sed by  the  fleecy  folds  that  float  lazily  through  the 
air.  Other  peaks  of  less  note,  raise  their  pondrous 
■crests  to  vast  heights  and  look  down  upon  the  low- 
her  hills. 

Numerous  creeks  and  rivulets  flow  from  lofty  ele- 
vations and  pour  adown  the  jagged  cliffs  in  cascades 
of  beauty.  These  and  the  numerous  valleys,  glens 
and  grottoes,  form  a  picture  grandly  beautiful  and 
subhme. 

In  the  western  part  of  Wyoming,  the  Wind  River 
Mountains  rise  in  sublimity  of  proportion,  till  they 
pierce  the  clouds.  Fremont's  Peak,  the  monarch  of 
the  range,  rises  to  the  height  of  13,750  feet ;  and 
other  peaks  of  lesser  importance  also  attain  high 
altitudes.  This  remarkable  range  is  everywhere  in- 
■accessible  to  the  foot  of  man.  Numerous  exploring 
expeditions  have  vainly  attempted  to  cross  it.  Col. 
Reynolds'  expedition  was  turned  back  by  it  in  1859, 
and  Bridgers,  who  accompanied  the  expedition,  de- 
clared, that  ^'a  bird  can't  fly  over  that  ridge  with- 
out taking  a  supply  of  grub  along." 

One  of  the  most  interesting  animals  that  inhabit 
this  region,  is  the  agile  and  pretty  little  creature 
known  as  the  Rocky  Mountain  sheep — Ovus  Mon- 
tana. Like  the  chamois  of  the  Alps,  it  dehghts  in 
the  elevations  of  the  mountain  regions,  and  is  fre- 
quently seen  on  lofty  and  precipitous  heights.  Its 
immense  horns  present  quite  a  formidable  appear- 
ance, but  the  animal  does  not  rely  upon  them  for 
-defence,  but  rather  upon  attaining  a  position  on  the 


386  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

mountain  heights,  inaccessible  to  its  pursuers.  Al- 
though a  diminutive  animal,  in  frequent  instances- 
its  horns  are  three  feet  in  length,  and  weigh  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  pounds.  Its  hair  is  short,  smooth, 
and  of  a  light  brown  color.  While  skipping  from 
height  to  height,  its  horns  serve  as  a  balance,  en- 
abling the  agile  creature,  to  maintain  its  position 
upon  narrowest  shelves  of  rock,  where  it  would  seem 
impossible  to  do  so.  The  chase  of  this  httle  animal^ 
is  attended  with  the  greatest  difiiculties.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly keen  of  scent,  and  to  approach  it,  the 
hunter  must  exercise  the  utmost  wariness. 

I  recollect  the  futile  efforts  I  once  put  forth  in 
pursuit  of  a  small  flock  of  mountain  sheep.  It  wa& 
my  first  experience,  and  not  remarkably  successful. 
When  first  seen,  they  were  upon  the  extreme  point 
of  a  high  and  jutting  peninsular  rock,  and  I  thought 
by  approaching  them  in  the  rear,  there  would  be  no 
difficulty  in  kilhng  at  least  one  of  the  number. 
After  a  full  half  hour  of  toilsome  chmbing,  I  found 
myself  at  the  neck  of  the  haH  insulated  rock  at  the 
farther  extremity,  of  which  the  sheep  had  been 
seen.  It  did  not  seem  possible  for  the  game  to 
escape,  for  the  rock  was  three  or  four  hundred  feet 
in  height,  and  the  sides  were  nearly  perpendicular. 
Creeping  cautiously  along,'  I  caught  the  glimpse  of 
one,  as  it  whisked  around  the  sharp  angle  of  a  rock 
about  a  hundred  yards  away,  and  he,  the  most  tardy 
of  the  flock,  had  disappeared  in  a  twinkhng.  As  I 
clambered  with  greatest  difficulty  down  the  steep 
decHvity,  I  began  to  doubt  my  ability  as  a  success- 
ful chamois  hunter,  but  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing,  that  none  of  my  companions  had  ever 
been  more  successful  in  pursuit  of  this  animal. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  387 

We  spent  several  days  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Fort  Phil.  Kearney,  which  is  located  at  the  head  of 
Clear  Fork, — a  tributary  of  the  Powder  River — and 
then  started  upon  our  return  to  the  Yellowstone. 
Arriving  at  the  Rapids,  what  was  our  chagrin  and 
disappointment,  to  find  that  the  Elhot  had  left  her 
moorings,  and  was  not  to  be  seen.  We  could  only 
surmise  the  cause  of  her  departure,  but  after  riding 
for  some  distance  along  the  river  bank,  we  fortu- 
nately met  a  trapper,  who  confirmed  our  suspicions. 

It  appeared  from  his  statement,  that  the  men  who 
had  been  sent  out  to  collect  the  furs  of  the  trappers 
had  proceeded  in  the  performance  of  their  duties 
with  great  celerity  and  success;  that  the  river 
banks  in  the  vicinity  of  the  boat,  soon  presented  a 
most  animated  appearance.  Mule  after  mule  was 
reheved  of  his  burden,  and  day  after  day  business 
continued  brisk  and  satisfactory  to  all  parties.  The 
captain,  no  doubt,  congratulated  himself  upon  the 
"  fair  margin  "  he  had  made  in  every  instance.  But 
there  came  a  day  of  trouble.  The  Indians  having 
learned  of  his  operations,  presented  themselves  in 
considerable  numbers,  but  though  they  coveted  the 
pretty  things  they  saw,  they  brought  neither  peltries 
nor  valuables  of  any  sort,  although  lavish  of  prom- 
ises of  payment  at  a  future  time,  should  the  great 
white  chief  choose  to  credit  them ;  but  Chief  John- 
son, thinking  that  a  beaver's  skin  in  the  hold  of  his 
vessel,  was  "  worth  two  in  the  bush,"  declined  their 
proposals,  but  made  a  few  worthless  presents — so 
utterly  valueless,  that  even  the  Indians  scorned  to 
receive  them,  and  with  quick,  but  careful  scrutiny 
of  everything  on  board  the  steamer,  went  away,  but 
only  to  perfect  their  designs  for  capturing  her. 


388 

There  can  be  no  doubt  they  would  have  exe- 
cuted their  designs,  pillaged  and  burnt  the  steamer, 
and  massacred  all  on  board,  but  for  timely  informa- 
tion and  warning.  Among  the  Indians  who  came 
to  solicit  credit  or  presents,  was  a  young  Indian 
girl,  who  was  delighted  by  the  sight  of  a  smaU  mir- 
ror, which  Mr.  Merideth  held  in  his  hand,  but,  un- 
Hke  the  others  of  the  party,  she  merely  admired 
without  asking  for  it,  or  for  anything  else.  This 
peculiarity  was  noticed  by  Merideth,  and  he  not 
only  gave  her  the  mirror,  but  a  gaudy  bead  neck- 
lace, and  several  other  ornaments,  one  of  which  was 
a  showy  scarf.  This  simple  act  of  generosity  saved 
the  lives  and  property  of  aU  on  board,  for  at  twi- 
light the  next  evening,  a  single  Indian  presented 
himself  on  the  steamer's  deck,  and,  showing  the 
scarf  to  estabhsh  his  identity,  said  that  he  was  the 
father  of  "  Sunbeam,"  to  whom  the  scarf  and  other 
presents  had  been  given,  and  then  hurriedly  ex- 
posed the  plot  of  his  people  to  attack  the  steamer 
at  midnight.  He  had  risked  his  own  life,  to  attest 
his  gratitude  to  the  white  men. 

The  company  offered  him  money,  and  valuable 
presents,  but  he  looked  upon  the  things  with  in- 
difference without  speaking  a  word.  Thinking  that 
they  had  not  found  a  suitable  gift,  they  bade  him 
choose  for  himself,  but  with  a  dignity  of  manner 
that  gave  emphasis  to  his  words,  he  said  in  the 
Sioux  language: — "I  did  not  come  for  presents," 
and  turning  proudly  away,  quickly  disappeared  in 
the  forest  beyond  the  river's  bank.  What  a  lesson 
to  white  men,  who  regard  the  Indian  only  as  an 
animal,  devoid  of  sentiment  or  human  feehng! 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  389 

Within  an  hour,  the  steamer  was  on  her  way 
down  the  river.  The  trapper  whom  we  had  met 
had  heen  charged  with  the  duty  of  informing  us 
upon  our  arrival,  and  the  trappers  generally,  of  the 
occasion  for  the '  abrupt  {departure  of  the  steamer 
for  Fort  Benton. 

A  long  and  tiresome  journey  was  before  us.  It 
became  necessary  to  proceed  at  once,  overland  to 
the  fort.  The  distance  we  had  to  travel  was  nearly 
three  hundred  miles,  through  a  country,  the  scenery 
of  which  is  as  varied  as  it  is  beautiful,  grand  and 
sometimes  the  reverse.  Our  course  was  northwest, 
and  as  we  passed  up  the  slope  from  Powder  River  and 
looked  back  over  the  broad  expanse  of  rich,  produc- 
tive land  lying  below  us,  and  away  in  the  distance, 
a  scene  of  beauty  and  magnificence  was  presented, 
rivaling  in  picturesqueness  any  that  we  had  hither- 
to seen. 

Down,  down,  down  in  gently  sloping,  undula- 
ting surface,  the  meadow  land  rolled  in  placid 
iDeauty,  till  broken  by  the  dark-green  line  of  forest 
trees  that  fringed  the  river  banks,  and  then  on,  on, 
on  with  a  never  ending  up,  that  seemed  to  unite 
earth's  emerald  hues  with  heaven's  imperial  blue. 
And  as  the  landscape  passed  away  in  the  distance, 
it  rose  in  wave-hke  elevations,  nearer  and  nearer 
the  skies,  presenting  an  aspect  of  indescribable  mag- 
nificence and  beauty. 

Beyond  the  river,  a  beautiful  lake  lay  smiling  and 
glistening  beneath  the  autumn  sun,  and  around  the 
borders  of  this  gem  of  the  prairies,  hundreds  of 
mountain  willows  were  seen,  with  their  slender 
branches  and  silvery  lea^^es,  coquetting  with  the 
western  breeze. 


590  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

As  I  glanced  over  the  rich  landscape,  and  drank 
in  the  exquisite  beauty  of  the  scene,  I  felt  that  the 
poor,  untutored  red  men  were  perfectly  justifiable 
in  their  futile  attempts  to  preserve  those  charming 
fields  for  themselves,  and  for  their  children  forever. 
But  westward  is  the  course  of  empire,  regardless  of 
the  divine  rights  of  the  children  of  the  forest,  who 
recede  before  advancing  civilization,  as  do  the  deep- 
ening sombre  shadows  of  night,  before  the  first  rays 
of  the  rising  sun.  Not  many  more  years  will  pass, 
ere  the  ancient  prophecy  of  the  old  Indian  seer  will 
be  fulfilled,  and  the  death-song  of  the  last  warrior 
will  be  sung  on  the  golden  shores  of  the  broad  Pa- 
cific. As,  in  the  long  ago,  the  Mound  Builders,  in 
the  West,  gave  w^ay  to  the  more  vigorous  red  men 
of  the  forest,  so  will  the  latter,  in  turn,  yield  their 
inheritance  to  the  stronger  and  more  cunning  arm 
of  the  white  man.  And  as  the  Indian,  in  the  vigor 
of  his  manhood,  pursued  the  fleeing  deer  thought- 
lessly over  the  unnoticed  graves  of  his  predecessors, 
so  will  the  white  man  gather  his  corn  and  bind  his 
sheaves  over  the  unknown  grave  and  dust  of  the 
Indian. 

On  leaving  Powder  Biver,  we  went  forward  in  the 
direction  of  old  Fort  Sarpy,  on  the  Yellowstone, 
which  we  reached  without  accident  or  adventure, 
and  where  we  halted  for  two  days.  Fort  Sarpy  is 
about  thirty-five  miles  below  Big  Horn  City,  situ- 
ated at  the  confluence  of  the  Big  Horn  and  Yellow- 
stone Elvers.  A  large  extent  of  territory  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Fort,  is  not  surpassed  by  any  on  the 
route  for  beauty  and  fertihty. 

Leaving  the  YeUowstpne  for  the  last  time,  our 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  391 

course  lay  across  the  country,  in  the  direction  of 
the  head- waters  of  Judith  River,  down  the  wild, 
picturesque  and  interesting  valley  of  which  we  pro- 
posed to  make  our  way.  As  soon  as  we  passed  over 
the  high,  rolling  ridges  of  the  Muscleshell  country, 
from  the  Yellowstone,  we  found  an  abundance  of 
antelopes  and  other  wild  game,  such  as  I  never  saw 
equalled  in  any  other  region.  There  is  probably  no 
portion  of  the  United  States,  that  furnishes  any- 
thing like  the  deer-shooting  that  is  found  in  Mon- 
tana to-day,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  elk,  moose, 
hear,  buffalo,  antelope,  mountain  sheep,  wild  geese, 
ducks,  brant,  grouse  and  other  small  game. 

Moose  was  frequently  seen,  indeed  we  sometimes 
■saw  at  least  forty  in  a  day.  The  broad  and  branch- 
ing antlers  of  this  animal — Alee  Americanus — give 
it  a  most  formidable  appearance.  When  wounded, 
or  pursued  by  dogs,  and  at  bay,  the  moose  is  a  dan- 
gerous adversary,  as  it  will  not  then  hesitate  to 
attack  the  mounted  hunter,  and  not  unfrequently 
impales  a  less  agile  horse  upon  its  pointed  horns. 
It  is  the  largest  and  most  valuable  of  the  deer  species 
of  America. 

The  famous  hunter,  John  PoUiser,  who  spent  many 
years  of  his  active  life  upon  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  in  and  about  the  region  of 
the  Missouri  and  Yellowstone  Rivers,  relates  many 
remarkable,  curious  and  interesting  adventures  and 
anecdotes,  in  connection  with  this  animal,— incidents 
within  his  experience  whiFe  following  his  favorite 
vocation  in  this  region.  At  one  time  his  dogs  having 
bayed  a  magnificent  male,  at  the  foot  of  a  precipi- 
tous rock,  behind  which  the  hunter  chanced  to  be, 


392  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

he  cautiously  approached  the  brow  of  the  precipice 
and  peered  down,  to  watch  the  fray  between  the 
dogs  and  the  moose. 

The  rock  upon  which  he  was  standing,  projected 
somewhat  over  those  below,  and  the  moose  had 
taken  up  its  position  immediately  under  the  over- 
hanging rock.  Becoming  much  interested  in  the 
manner  in  which  the  moose  with  blows  of  his  feet 
attempted  to  repel  his  enemies,  Polhser  incautiously 
stepped  upon  a  loose  piece  of  stone,  and  in  an  in- 
stant was  landed  prone  upon  his  side,  immediately 
in  front  of  the  infuriated  animal.  The  fall  caused 
no  serious  injury,  but  the  moment  the  moose  caughi 
sight  of  him,  it  became  still  more  exasperated,  and 
attacked  him  with  great  violence.  The  man's  life 
was  in  imminent  danger,  from  blows  of  the  creature's 
horns.  Before  he  had  time  to  extricate  himself,  the 
angry  beast  made  a  terrific  thrust  at  him,  forcing 
one  of  the  sharp  points  of  its  powerful  antlers  en- 
tirely through  his  arm,  just  above  the  elbow,  and 
but  for  the  timely  aid  of  his  faithful  dogs,  it  would 
doubtless  have  inflicted  fatal  wounds  upon  him,  ere 
he  had  extricated  himself  from  his  perilous  position. 
The  faithful  dogs  at  once  sprang  to  their  master's 
assistance.  The  hunter  recovered  his  feet,  and  by 
a  dextrous  stroke  with  his  long  knife,  killed  the  stag. 

The  same  frontiersman  on  another  occasion,  saw 
one  of  his  dogs  pierced  entirely  through  the  body, 
by  a  powerful  stag  that  had  been  slightly  wounded, 
and  brought  to  bay  by  its  fleet  and  tireless  pur- 
suers. The  hunter  shot  and  killed  the  stag.  Pol- 
liser's  greatest  delight  was  hunting  grizzly  bears, 
and  many  are  the  thrilling  adventures   and  hair- 


AND   WONDEES   OF   THE   WEST. 


39a 


breadth  escapes,  still  related  of  him  by  western 
trappers. 

After  leaving  the  region  of  the  Muscleshell 
Eiver,  we  passed  through  an  exceedingly  wild  and 
interesting  country,  between  the  Judith  and  Little 
Belt  Mountains,  meeting  no  hostile  Indians,  and 
after  a  safe  and  pleasant  journey  of  fifteen  days^ 
arrived  at  Fort  Benton. 


•394  LIFE  IN   THE   WILDS   OF  AMERICA, 


CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

Fort  Benton — Arrival  of  the  Elliot — The  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri — 
Departure  of  the  Elliot — In  the  Gold  Region — The  Characters  Seen 
There — Off  for  Idaho— The  Snake  Desert — The  Grandest  Cataracts 
of  the  Continent— Mining  Kegions. 

Fort  Benton  is  a  town  of  ten  thousand  inhabit- 
^ants,  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Missouri.  It 
is  the  oldest  town  in  the  Territory. 

We  were  kindly  received  by  the  officers  at  the 
Fort,  and  enjoyed  their  hospitality  for  three  days, 
when,  to  our  great  joy,  the  Elliot  arrived.  A  few 
days  later,  we  visited  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Mis- 
souri— thirty-five  miles  above  Fort  Benton.  The 
falls  are  six  in  number;  the  first  is  the  highest,  and 
to  this  point  steamers  of  light  draught  may  ascend. 
The  distance  from  the  falls  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
by  river,  is  3,956  miles. 

A  sheet  of  water,  more  than  a  thousand  feet  in 
width,  falls  a  distance  of  eighty  feet,  presenting  a 
scene  of  grandeur,  once  witnessed,  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. 

The  Missouri  is  formed  by  the  "  Three  Forks" — 
the  Jefferson,  Madison,  and  Gallatin.  The  most 
westerly  of  these — the  Jefferson — rises  in  the  ex- 
treme southern  part  of  Montana,  and  is  the  largest 
of  the  branches.  The  next  in  importance  is  the 
Madison,  which  rises  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
the  National  Park.  The  Gallatin  is  the  most  east- 
erly, its  source  being  in  the  northwestern  corner  of 
the  Great  Park.    At  shght  expense  the  Missouri 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  395 

<^an  be  made  navigable  above  the  falls,  nearly,  if 
not  quite  to  the  junction  of  the  three  forks.  The 
improvement  has  already  been  begun. 

The  confluence  of  these  rivers  was  first  reached 
July  27,  1805,  by  Lewis  and  Clark.  The  vast  ex- 
tent of  territory  acquired  by  the  Louisiana  pur- 
chase, in  1803,  included  almost  half  of  our  extensive 
•domain.  Scarcely  had  the  transfer  of  this  region 
been  consummated,  than  preparations  were  com- 
menced for  exploring  it.  An  expedition  numbering 
thirty-two  men,  was  organized  and  placed  under  the 
•direction  of  Capt.  Lewis  and  Lieut.  Clark.  As 
«hown  by  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  no  happier 
selection  of  leaders  could  have  been  made. 

The  expedition  left  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  May 
14,  1804,  and,  proceeding  up  the  broad  channel  in 
three  large  open  boats,  arrived  on  the  27th  Octo- 
ber, at  the  village  of  the  Mandan  Indians,  situated 
in  the  great  southeastern  bend  of  the  river,  about 
two  hundred  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow- 
"Stone.  Here  they  encamped,  and  spent  the  winter, 
gathering  what  mformation  they  could  concerning 
the  surrounding  country,  and  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  Indians  who  inhabited  it.  On  the  7th 
April,  1805,  they  again  embarked  on  their  perilous 
journey.  Having  freighted  several  large  canoes 
with  their  effects,  they  steadily  pursued  their  way, 
toihng  successfully  against  the  swift  waters  of  the 
Missouri,  and  toward  the  last  of  the  month,  en- 
camped at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone.  Many 
thrilhng  and  perilous  adventures  were  experienced 
by  the  travelers  as  they  pursued  their  way  through 
^he  trackless  region. 


396  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

Capt.  Lewis,  at  the  head  of  an  advance  party ^. 
was  the  first  to  reach  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Mis- 
souri. A  few  days  later,  the  entire  party  stood  be- 
neath the  mighty  cataract,  and  gazed  in  wonder 
upon  it.  Immense  columns  of  clouds,  rising  from 
the  basin,  grew  larger  and  taller,  till  finally,  meeting 
the  rays  of  the  summer  sun,  they  floated  away  in 
golden  splendor  over  the  surrounding  hill-tops, 
while  the  waters  surged,  foamed  and  whirled  wildly 
as  they  dashed  upon  the  invisible  rocks  below. 
Above,  around  and  beneath,  the  scene  was  grand 
and  sublime.  Passing  on  above  the  other  catar- 
acts, the  voyageurs  pursued  their  difficult  way 
through  the  grandest  solitxides  of  this  picturesque 
region.  A  few  miles  above  the  highest  of  the  Falls, 
they  discovered  and  named  the  great  canon,  "  The 
Gate  of  the  Mountains."  The  scene  here  presented 
was  in  keeping  with  the  aspect  of  the  strange  re- 
gion through  which  they  had  passed.  For  six  miles, 
the  grand  river — a  quarte:i^  of  a  mile  in  width — flows 
through  an  immense  chasm,  the  perpendicular  walls- 
of  which,  rise  to  the  height  of  twelve  hundred 
feet.  Down  into  the  very  heart  of  the  mountains, 
the  swiftly  flowing  waters  have  cut  their  way ;  and 
still  the  resistless  current  rushes  on,  cutting  deeper 
and  deeper. 

Lewis  and  Clark,  with  their  band  of  explorers,, 
were  nearly  a  year  and  a-haK  in  these  western  soh- 
tudes.  Crossing  the  mountains,  they  followed  the 
course  of  the  Columbia  Eiver,  till  they  met  the 
tides  of  the  great  ocean  beyond.  On  their  return, 
they  explored  and  named  many  of  the  smaller 
streams  in  the  vast  region,  hitherto  untraversed  by 
white  men. 


IDAHO  MOUNTAIN  SCENERY. 


398 

The  period  of  our  engagement  with  Capt.  John- 
son having  expired,  Barstow,  Warrington  and  I 
took  our  leave  of  the  pleasant  companions  of  our 
journey,  and  the  steamer  left  Fort  Benton  for  St. 
Louis.  Crossing  the  Eocky  Mountains  at  Cadott's- 
Pass,  we  proceeded  to  the  gold  regions  of  Montana. 

The  hfe  of  the  gold-seeker  is  one  of  ceaseless  toil  and 
ever  recurring  disappointments.  The  hopes  that 
allure  him  on — the  golden  dreams  and  visions  of 
wonderful  success  in  the  near  future,  are  but  too 
seldom  realized ;  the  fortune  he  so  confidently  ex- 
pects to  obtain,  is  never  within  his  grasp ;  he  builds- 
and  rebuilds  airy  castles,  only  to  see  them  again  and 
again  toppled  over  by  the  cruel  hand  of  adversity. 

The  average  daily  earnings  of  each  man  engaged 
in  the  gold  mines  of  the  West,  is  not  over  a  dollar 
and  a-half  per  day.  Fortunes  are  still  made  in  the 
gold  mines,  but  they  are  generally  made  by  men 
who  possess  large  capital,  and  not  often  by  the  pen- 
niless toiler.  How  much  better  would  it  be  in  every 
way,  for  young  men,  and  for  men  at  any  age,  instead 
of  thus  trusting  to  chance,  to  accept  a  certainty — 
to  secure  that  by  healthful  toil,  for  which  they  strive 
at  the  expense  of  all  the  pleasures  of  life, —  at  the 
expense  of  the  abridgment  of  hfe  itself,  and  so  gen- 
erally strive  in  vain.  This  surety  of  success  is  open 
and  attainable  by  all  who  will,  and  is  found  on  the 
plains  of  Montana,  of  Dakota,  of  Kansas,  Nebraska^ 
and  elsewhere  in  the  West — not  in  digging  for  gold, 
but  in  guiding  the  plow  and  in  herding  flocks,  not 
in  the  service  of  another,  but  for  himself,  and  upon 
his  own  broad  acres. 

All  kinds  of  characters  congregate  in  the  gold 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  399' 

regions  of  the  West.  One  may  meet  representa- 
tives of  almost  every  type  of  man  under  the  sun. 
Here  are  seen  the  bearded  and  sunbrowned  Euro- 
pean, the  almond-eyed  MongoHan,  and  the  African; 
here  are  men  of  all  nationahties,  of  all  colors,  ages 
and  dispositions, — men  inured  to  crime  from  their 
childhood,  and  other  men  whose  f  eeHngs  are  shocked 
by  the  blasphemies  of  their  vile  co-laborers,  all 
minghng  together,  and  all  toihng  with  one  common 
incentive,  —  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  Each 
man  of  this  heterogeneous  population  is  a  "  char- 
acter." For  the  sake  of  loved  ones  at  home,  or 
to  satisfy  ambition,  avarice,  or  perhaps  to  escape 
the  penalty  of  violated  law,  the  man  has  become 
a  voluntary  exile  from  society. 

A  ramble  through  any  of  the  towns  of  this  region 
that  dot  the  hillsides  or  line  the  valleys — or  towns 
in  any  mining  region — will  reveal  scenes  that  fully 
evidence  the  fact  that  a  mining  community  is  a 
httle  world  of  itself. 

Here  is  an  enterprising  Jew,  always  on  hand  "mit 
der  sheepest  goots,"  which  he  is  very  anxious  to 
sell  for  a  very  little  money.  There  is  a  genuine 
"  down  east"  Yankee,  with  his  ever  eager  inquiry,. 
"Be  yeou  from  New  Hampshire?  Dew  tell!" 
There  is  the  gambler,  ready  for  games  and  greenies, 
at  all  hours,  by  day  or  night.  There  is  the  bluster- 
ing bully,  bristling  with  knives  and  pistols,  ready  to 
pick  a  quarrel  at  any  time,  and  preferring  a  game  of 
fisticuffs  to  a  dinner.  There  is  the  genteel  loafer, 
who  would  rather  starve  than  labor.  Here  is  the 
pawn  broker  and  his  brother-in-law,  who  is  ready  to 
take  anything  except  your  soul  and  body,  as  collat- 
eral for  an  advance  of  a  few  dimes. 


400  Llt^E    IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

One  peculiar  character,  who  succeeds  more  easily 
than  any  other,  in  adapting  himself  to  all  circumstan- 
ces, is  the  "heathen  Chinee."  He  seems  to  be  singu- 
larly fitted  to  fill  any  station,  that  he  may  be  called 
upon  to  occupy — always  provided  that  the  station 
be  a  very  humble  one ;  and  with  the  present  state 
of  feehng  by  those  who  know  him  best,  he  is  not 
liable  to  be  invited  to  take  a  seat  very  high  up. 
Whatever  the  task  that  may  be  imposed  upon 
*' John"  he  generally  performs  it  with  a  ready  hand, 
and  always  goes  away  satisfied,  when  he  finds  that 
there  is  not  the  least  possible  chance  of  securing 
another  one  of  your  coppers — if  there  is,  he  will 
cultivate  that  chance.  Heathen  John  is  not  over 
particular  in  the  matter  of  diet.  Anything  that 
swine  would  turn  from  in  disgust,  may  be  seen  at 
his  board,  mice  or  rats,  bats  or  beetles,  never  come 
amiss,  but  on  the  contrary  are  esteemed  as  delica- 
cies. He  eats  anything  that  he  can  masticate. 
As  a  natural  scavenger,  he  is  a  success ;  the  hog, 
the  vulture,  the  buzzard  or  carrion  crow,  are  dainty 
and  fastidious  creatures  compared  with  him.  An- 
other of  his  peculiarities  is  his  money-making  pro- 
pensity; and  he  has  also  the  art  of  keeping  it,  every 
penny.  He  never  spends  his  substance  in  riotous 
hving — not  he.  If  a  dollar  finds  its  way  into  his 
hand,  ninety-nine  cents  of  it  will  find  its  way  to  the 
Celestial  empire. 

If  we  consider  the  Chinaman  in  every  phase  of 
Ms  character,  his  habits,  social  capacities  and  re- 
ligion, we  are  forced  to  the  conclusion,  that  although 
he  is  industrious,  he  has  his  ^'constitutional  draw- 
backs ; "  his  industry  is  his  only  good  point  worth 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  401 

mentioning ;  the  country  would  be  better  off  with- 
out him. 

The  miners  and  trappers  are  proverbially  honest 
men,  and  their  '^word  is  as  good  as  their  bond" 
any  time. 

After  a  long,  tedious  and  perilous  journey  we 
arrived  in  the  Territory  of  Idaho. 

This  region,  which  now  forms  the  Territory  of 
Idaho,  was  but  little  known  prior  to  the  year  1852, 
when  gold  was  discovered  upon  the  Pend  d' Oreille, 
a  little  river  in  the  extreme  northern  portion  of  the 
-country,  and  though  these  placers  were  not  remark- 
ably productive,  the  attention  of  prospectors  was 
attracted  to  them,  and  to  various  other  locahties, 
but  it  was  not  until  the  rich  discoveries,  in  1860, 
upon  the  Oro  Fino  creek — a  tributary  of  the  Clear- 
water Biver,  about  a  hundred  miles  to  the  south  of 
Pend  d' Oreille,  that  any  permanent  settlements 
were  made.  In  1863,  a  territorial  form  of  govern- 
ment was  organized. 

Idaho  embraces  an  area  of  ninety  thousand  square 
miles,  and  is  the  most  mountainous  and  rugged  re- 
gion of  any  of  the  Territories.  Between  the  barren 
mountain  ranges  and  along  the  course  of  the  large 
rivers,  there  are  rich  and  fertile  valleys,  which  are 
attracting  the  attention  of  settlers,  but  agricul- 
ture will  never  be  the  ruling  industry  of  this  reg- 
ion ;  throughout  the  Territory  much  of  the  land  is 
susceptible  to  improvement  by  a  proper  system  of 
irrigation. 

*'In  the  arid  pubhc  lands  of  the  remote  West,  in- 
•cluding  Arizona,  Dakota,  Idaho,  Colorado,  Nevada, 
Montana,  New  Mexico,  Utah,  Wyoming  and  parts  of 

•46 


402  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Kansas,  Nebraska,  Oregon,  Texas,  with  Washington 
and  the  Indian  Territories,  there  are,  in  round  num- 
bers, not  less  than  900,000,000  acres.    Not  one  per 
cent,  of  all  this  land  has  as  yet  been  sold  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, and — adds  the  journahst,  from  whose  paper 
I  quote, — it  will  not  be  sold  for  many  years,  unless 
some  means  be  found  to  supply  it  with  water.    It 
has  been  proposed,  lately,  to  sink  experimental  ar- 
tesian wells  on  the  arid  land,  in  order  to  irrigate  it. 
Government  surveys  show  that  200,000,000  acres  of 
the  whole  are  mountainous,  and  that  they  could  not 
be  rendered  fertile  with  any  quantity  of  water.    An 
equal  amount  of  land  consists  of  lava-beds,  without 
either  soil  or  vegetation,  and  of  desert  plains  of 
drifting  sand.     This  leaves  500,000,000  acres  of  plain 
and  vaUey  susceptible  of  high  cultivation,  if  they  only 
had  water.    But  a  very  small  percentage  of  this  can, 
under   the  most  favorable    circumstances,   be  re- 
claimed by  using,  however  efficiently,  the  rivers 
and  smaU  streams,  and  a  great  deal  now  employed 
for  pasturage,  has  such  scanty  grass,  that  twenty- 
five  acres  are  often  needed  for  the  support  of  each 
head  of  cattle.  In  Colorado  alone  there  are  41,000,000 
acres  of  such  poor  land,  capable,  with  proper  irri- 
gation, of  producing  twenty-five  to  thirty  bushels  of 
wheat  to  an  acre.     The  West  wants  Congress  to 
appropriate  $50,000  for  boring  artesian  wells,  and  it 
is  believed  by  some  of  the  ablest  geologists,  that  the 
weUs  could  be  sunk.     Private  enterprise  will  not 
undertake  the  experiment;  but,  if  the  experiment 
were  once  made  successful,  there  would  be  abundant 
capital  to  carry  on  a  work,  which  would  prove  to  be 
of  inestimable  value." 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  403 

The  natural  scenery  of  Idaho,  is  for  the  greater 
part,  grand  and  picturesque. 

The  Owyhee,  Boise  and  Fayette  valleys,  are  re- 
markably fertile  and  well- watered.  The  valley  of 
the  Wiesser  contains  not  less  than  two  hundred 
thousand  acres  of  excellent  farming  lands.  Camas 
Prairie,  the  oldest  settled  region  in  Idaho,  contains 
thousands  of  acres  having  an  exceedingly  fertile 
soil.  The  Bruneau  Valley,  which  occupies  a  well- 
sheltered  position,  and  possesses  a  comparatively 
mild  climate  throughout  the  year,  and  also  contains 
an  unlimited  extent  of  excellent  pasturage,  is  a 
common  wintering  place  for  stock,  thousands  being 
driven  to  it  for  that  purpose  every  fall. 

All  these  valleys  are  in  the  southern  portion  of 
the  State,  as  is  also  Bear  Lake  Valley — a  Mormon 
settlement  of  five  or  six  thousand  people,  the  lands 
of  which  are  under  cultivation.  The  hiU  sides  fur- 
nish rich  pasturage  for  the  thousands  of  cattle, 
horses  and  sheep  that  roam  over  them. 

The  principal  mountain  ranges  are  the  Blue, 
Boise,  and  Salmon  River  Mountains ;  the  latter  ex- 
tend from  the  western  boundary,  nearly  through 
the  Territory,  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  The 
country  is  watered  by  innumerable  streams,  the 
largest  of  which  is  Snake  River,  the  course  of  which 
is  semi-circular,  flowing  along  the  western  boun- 
dary tiU  in  joins  the  Columbia  River.  It  winds 
through  a  vast  plain,  the  most  barren,  desolate  and 
dreary  ever  seen  by  man.  It  is  a  sage  desert,  seem- 
ingly covered  with  the  outpouring  of  a  volcano.  It 
is  a  waste  so  utterly  destitute  of  vegetation,  that 
even  the  wild  beasts  shun  it. 


404 

The  river  is  navigable  for  steamboats  to  Lewis- 
ijon,  four  or  five  miles  from  Walla  Walla,  Wash- 
ington Territory,  but  beyond,  it  flows  through  many 
impassable  canons.  In  its  course  through  the  inte- 
rior of  the  Territory,  there  are  several  falls  of  great 
interest,  the  principal  ones  being  the  Salmon  and 
Shoshone.  The  former  is  a  favorite  fishing  resort 
for  the  Indians,  since  the  falls  prevent  the  salmon 
from  ascending  the  stream. 

Next  to  Niagara  and  the  Yosemite  FaUs,  the 
'Shoshone  is  the  most  grand  and  sublime  cataract 
on  the  continent.  Here  we  lingered  for  hours, 
entranced  by  the  awful  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the 
scene.  We  saw  the  Falls  at  noon-day,  and  again  by 
moonlight.  A  sheet  of  water,  one  thousand  feet 
wide  in  the  narrowest  part,  falls  from  a  height  of 
twQ  hundred  feet  in  an  unbroken  current,  which 
seems  like  a  glistening  wall  of  silver,  extending  from 
the  precipitous,  rocky  ledge  above,  to  the  awful 
chasm  below,  from  w^hich  rise  fleecy  clouds  that  in 
the  sunlight  display  the  beautiful  tints  of  the  rain- 
bow, or  in  the  moonlight,  ghtter  like  a  cloud  of  dia- 
mond dust — a  spectacle  of  exquisite  beauty,  amid 
surroundings  that  are  at  once  indescribably  wild, 
weird,  picturesque  and  grand. 

In  various  parts  of  the  Territory  are  numerous 
lakes,  some  of  which  are  singularly  beautiful,  espe- 
cially the  largest — in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Territory,  Lake  Pend  d' Oreille,  from  which  rises 
Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia  River.  This  lake  is 
navigable  for  small  steamboats.  At  its  southern 
extremity  is  the  first  ^^  gold  town"  or  mining  settle- 
ment in  Idaho — Pend  d' Oreille.     Northwest  of  this 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  405 

lake  is  another,  which  though  smaller,  is  no  less 
beautiful.  It  is  the  source  of  a  fork  of  the  Co- 
lumbia. 

Large  tracts  of  the  Territory  are  covered  with 
grand  old  forests,  which  furnish  abundance  of  tim- 
ber, and  in  which  game  in  great  variety  is  found. 
In  summer,  the  climate  is  delightful,  but  in  winter, 
the  cold  is  often  intense,  and  though  the  mercury 
does  not  indicate  a  temperature  lower  than  that  of 
Minnesota,  a  greater  degree  of  cold  is  sometimes 
experienced.  The  snowfall  is  also  very  great,  and 
for  many  weeks  causes  a  suspension  of  mining 
operations. 

TiU  within  a  few  years,  the  Snake  Indians — the 
most  savage  and  daring  tribe  on  the  continent,  gave 
great  trouble  to  the  miners,  and  the  settlers  generally, 
kiUing  individuals  whenever  opportunity  offered, 
and  boldly  steahng  whatever  they  could  lay  their 
hands  upon,  and  did  not  hesitate  even  to  steal 
horses  and  other  property,  from  the  forts.  At  one 
time,  it  is  said,  they  carried  off  horses  and  mules 
from  Fort  Lyon,  under  the  very  eyes  of  the  garri- 
son, which  was  too  small  in  numbers  to  oppose 
effectual  resistance.  They  are  now  peaceful  and 
content  upon  their  reservation,  which  embraces  a 
vast  tract  of  the  best  land  in  the  western  part  of 
the  Territory,  between  the  Bitter  Eoot  and  Blue 
Mountain  Eanges,  and  through  which  flow  several 
streams. 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  character  of  the 
several  Indian  tribes  of  the  northwest,  as  wiU  be 
seen  from  the  report  of  the  Indian  agent  at  Duck 
Yalley:     '^  There  are  now  at  Duck  YaUey  reserva- 


406  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 

tion,  including  men,  women  and  children,  1,200  In- 
dians, and,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  all  Sho shone s, 
called  by  the  Indian  Department  Western  Sho- 
shones.  There  may  be  some  who  have  Piute  blood 
in  them,  but  I  believe  they  are  very  few.  They,  in- 
stead of  being  the  lowest  type  of  cricket  eaters,  are 
the  best  class  of  Indians  I  have  ever  seen,  and  I 
have  seen  many.  They  are  busy  cultivating  their 
land,  showing  great  industry  in  that  pursuit,  as  weU 
as  in  building  roads  to  the  timber  ground,  and  to 
Mountain  City,  ten  miles  from  the  reserve.  Not 
the  slightest  disturbance  has  occurred,  and,  of 
course,  no  white  man  injured  or  killed.  They  are 
well  cared  for  by  the  government." 

Boise  City,  the  capital  of  the  Territory,  is  situated 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Boise  Kiver,  about  fifty 
miles  from  its  confluence  with  the  Owyhee  Eiver, 
which  marks  the  boundary  between  Idaho  and 
Oregon.  It  is  a  growing  city,  and  has  a  large  local 
trade. 

We  visited  the  most  important  mining  regions  of 
the  Territory,  which  have  contributed  largely  to 
the  treasure  of  the  nation  and  the  world.  In  many 
parts  of  Idaho,  there  is  both  gold  and  silver  in  im- 
mense quantities. 

Crossing  the  Boise  Kiver  and  the  Sage  Plains,  or 
Alkah  Desert,  we  arrived  at  the  Snake  Eiver,  into 
which  within  a  distance  of  a  score  or  two  of  miles, 
flow  as  many  streams  from  the  Owyhee  region,  all 
dignified  upon  the  map,  with  the  name  of  rivers. 
Crossing  the  Snake  Eiver,  and  continuing  our  jour- 
ney southward  for  thirty  miles  further,  we  arrived  at 
Silver  City,  ten  or  twelve  miles  east  of  the  bound- 


AND    WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  407 

ary  of  Oregon.  This  is  in  all  respects  a  "  live"  town, 
and  though  comparatively  new,  is  prosperous  and 
enterprising.  Here  is  pubHshed  one  of  the  most 
readable  and  valuable  news  journals  of  the  great 
Northwest — the  Avalanche,  ably  edited  by  J.  S. 
Hay,  Esq. 

The  pioneer  settlement  of  this  region  is  Boonville, 
where  the  early  miners  pursued  their  labors  in  con- 
stant peril  from  the  Indians.  Ruby  City,  on  Jordan 
Creek,  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  five  or  six 
miles  from  the  western  boundary,  though  scarcely 
more  pretentious  than  its  neighbors  in  the  general 
style  of  its  buildings,  has  long  been  an  important 
mining  town.  Here,  as  in  most  other  places  in  the 
Territory,  placer  mining  has  long  since  been  aband- 
oned for  the  more  profitable  quartz  mines,  which 
have  made  the  name  of  this  region  as  well-known 
in  the  East,  as  it  is  to  the  miners  of  Idaho. 

Ruby  is  near  the  bottom  of  a  deep  canon.  In  the 
vicinity  are  mountain  peaks,  varying  in  height  from 
six  hundred  to  two  thousand  feet  above  the  town. 
Some  are  bare  rock,  with  deep  gorges  and  jagged 
peaks,  while  others  are  clothed  with  timber.  One 
of  these  peaks,  known  as  War  Eagle,  is  five  thous- 
and feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Here  the  most 
wonderful  discoveries  of  gold  bearing  quartz  have 
been  made.  Upon  this  mountain,  but  five  miles  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  hundreds  of  lodes  have  been 
located,  and  many  of  them  have  yielded  vast  quan- 
tities of  gold.  The  large  quartz  mills  here  are  gen- 
■erally  owned  by  Eastern  capitalists.  The  ore  is  of 
extraordinary  purity,  and  several  of  the  lodes  yield 
incredibly  large  sums.    The  lodes  are  all  nearly  per- 


408  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBIC  A, 

pendicular,  and  most  of  them  steadily  increase 
downward  in  width.  Large  numbers  of  Chinamen 
find  lucrative  employment  in  washing  the  crushed, 
rock,  which  has  passed  through  the  mills,  and  from 
which  has  already  been  extracted,  all  the  gold  that 
can  be  obtained  by  ijjae  processes  thus  employed. 

The  greater  part  of  the  mining  machinery  used  in 
Idaho,  is  brought  from  California.  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  machinery  is  generally  used  in  Montana,  Col- 
orado and  Utah.  From  the  summit  of  War  Eagle- 
Peak,  we  looked  down  upon  the  lower  hills  and 
upon  the  Snake  Valley,  stretching  for  miles  away, 
and  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  we  beheld  the- 
dim  outlines  of  towering  mountains. 

The  tunnel  of  the  Oro  Fino  mine  extends  hun- 
dreds of  feet  horizontally;  then  at  the  terminus 
there  is  a  perpendicular  shaft,  one  hundred  and. 
eighty  feet  above,  by  which  the  daylight  enters. 
The  walls  of  the  mine  are  granite,  smooth  and  well- 
defined,  from  two  to  seven  feet  apart.  The  ore  is. 
nearly  white,  and  some  of  it  is  as  soft  as  wax,  and 
may  be  easily  cut  with  a  knife. 

A  mineralogist,  who  is  well  informed  concerning- 
the  mining  interests  of  Idaho,  in  speaking  of  the 
Salmon  Kiver  country,  says:  ^'It  has  remained  for 
that  vast  region  of  Central  Idaho,  which  our  latest 
map-makers  still  insist  in  making  ^unexplored  coun- 
try,' to  develop  mammoth  ledges,  traced  miles  upon 
miles,  whose  silver  ores  are  as  rich  as  those  in  the* 
narrow  ledges  of  Arizona,  and  far  more  so  than 
those  of  Leadville,  to  duplicate  Black  HiUs  Moun- 
tains of  native  gold  ores,  so  fabulously  rich  that  we 
are  slow  to  believe  the  proven  truth,  and  to  unite 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  409 

with  these  fascinations,  grand  forests,  many  fertile 
valleys,  broad  grassy  feeding-grounds,  for  herds  to 
come,  and  enchantments  of  scenery,  game  fields 
and  trout  streams,  fresh  and  probably  unrivalled. 
It  will,  in  all  probability,  be  the  scene  of  our  next 
great  mining  stampede,  one  not  second  even  to  tha 
Leadville  furore.  It  is  already  a  prominent  bulHon 
producer." 

The  Salmon  Eiver  region  comprises  Yankee  Fork,^ 
Wood  Eiver,  Saw-Tooth,  Bay  Horse,  YeUow  Jacket 
and  other  districts, — an  area  of  twenty  thousand 
square  miles  in  the  heart  of  the  Territory.  The 
region  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  main  range- 
of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  on  the  east  and  south  by 
the  great  lava-plateau  of  Snake  Eiver,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Boise  and  other  mountain  ranges,  long 
since  explored  and  mined.  Its  eastern  edge  is  150 
miles  west  of  the  Utah  and  Northern  Eailway,  and 
its  southern  boundary  reaches  within  200  miles  of 
the  Central  Pacific  Eailroad.  The  Oregon  division 
of  the  Utah  and  Northern  Eailway  is  projected  to- 
cross  a  valuable  belt  at  the  southern  end  of  the  re- 
gion, and  wagon  roads  already  penetrate  its  best 
developed  and  apparently  richest  sections,  in  the 
centre  and  at  the  northern  edge.  The  country  i& 
far  less  isolated  or  difficult  of  access,  than  the  public 
generally  suppose. 

Salmon  Eiver,  a  deeper,  clearer,  and  a  far  more 
turbulent  stream,  than  the  Susquehanna,  gathers- 
its  volumes  from  dozens  of  tributaries  in  the  high 
mountains  of  this  region.  The  Wood  Eiver,  several 
large  affluents  of  the  Boise  and  other  fordable 
mountain  torrents  flow  through  this  region,  draining: 


410  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

fertile  valleys  of  limited  extent.  The  highest  peaks 
are  twelve  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  The  moun- 
tains are  more  rugged  than  anywhere  in  the  Kockies, 
the  Saw-Tooth  Eange,  especially,  being  a  marvel  of 
diamond  pointed  peaks,  jutting  crags  and  rocky 
heights,  which  even  the  mountain  sheep  will  not 
attempt  to  scale.  Pine  timber  is  very  abundant  on 
the  lower  mountains,  almost  everywhere.  The  re- 
gion is  full  of  lakes,  and  its  canons  are  among  the 
grandest  ever  discovered. 

The  prospects  of  an  early  construction  of  a  rail- 
road from  some  point  on  the  Utah  and  Northern 
Line,  through  to  Oregon,  and  passing  near  the  Wood 
Biver  mining  region,  have  stimulated  prospectors 
to  turn  their  attention  in  that  direction,  and  with 
the  most  fortunate  results.  Four  or  five  galena 
belts  have  been  opened  up,  and  it  is  the  belief  of  all 
who  have  explored  that  region,  that  belt  after  belt 
of  argentiferous  galena  ores,  exist  all  the  way  from 
the  low  hills  at  the  base  of  the  Wood  Eiver  Kange, 
to  the  divide  of  Wood  and  Salmon  Kivers,  a  distance 
of  forty-five  miles.  This  great  belt  of  high  grade 
galena  and  carbonate  ores  extends  in  u  southwesterly 
direction  from  Bay  Horse  district,  near  Challis, 
through,  by  the  head  of  East  Fork,  to  Wood  Kiver, 
and  over  to  the  south  tributaries  of  the  Boise.  This 
comprises  the  most  extensive  silver  bearing  range 
known,  being  from  twenty  to  forty  miles  in  width 
and  130  to  140  miles  in  length.  The  principal  mining 
camp  in  the  region,  is  about  one  hundred  miles  from 
Bonanza  City. 

The  mines  in  the  Lower  Wood  River  district  are 
divided  into  two  camps.     The  first  is  in  the  outer 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  411 

ioot-hills,  and  five  miles  from  the  old  Emigrant 
road  leading  to  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory. 
A  great  many  locations  have  been  made  and  con- 
siderable work  done.  Ore  has  been  shipped  to 
Utah  which  reahzed  $150  to  $200  per  ton.  The 
veins  vary  in  thickness  from  one,  to  two-and-a-half 
feet.  The  ores  are  galena,  easily  smelted,  running 
from  forty  to  sixty  per  cent,  lead,  and  from  $80  to 
$250  silver.  There  is  an  abundance  of  iron  in  the 
vicinity.  The  leads  are  generally  well  defined,  with 
bold  croppings. 

The  second  camp  is  located  about  six  miles 
above  the  first,  and  on  the  main  Wood  Eiver.  The 
:first  lode  was  discovered  in  1864,  but  nothing  was 
done  upon  it  until  1872,  since  which  time  large 
quantities  of  ore  have  been  taken  therefrom,  and 
shipped  to  Salt  Lake,  much  of  it  being  sold  for  $200 
per  ton.  The  ore  is  similar  to  that  found  in  other 
parts  of  Wood  Kiver,  carries  a  large  per  cent,  of 
lead,  and  considerable  oxide  of  iron.  The  lode  is 
four  feet  wide,  with  a  vein  of  ore  two  or  three  feet, 
running  through  it.  There  are  eight  or  ten  leads 
equaUy  good.  The  ore  yields  from  $150  to  $300 
silver,  per  ton.  The  climate  is  favorable  for  a  win- 
ter camp. 

Warm  Spring  Creek  is  a  tributary  of  Wood  Eiver, 
flowing  in  from  the  west ;  it  is  properly  the  west 
fork  of  Wood  Eiver.  It  is  about  20  miles  above  the 
Emigrant  road,  and  nearly  midway  between  Upper 
and  Lower  Wood  Eiver  mines.  The  mineral  belt 
is  located  about  ten  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
Warm  Spring  Greek,  and  was  discovered  in  the 
summer   of   1870.      The  first  mine  is  the   Idaho. 


412  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

There  is  an  open  cut,  20  feet  long  and  15  feet 
deep,  on  the  ledge,  exposing  a  large  body  of  anti- 
monial  silver  ore,  that  assays  from  $80  to  $205 
per  ton.  Wood  Eiver  is  the  next  location  adjoin- 
ing the  Idaho,  and  showing  a  good  body  of  ore^ 
that  yields  f  150  per  ton.  The  Black  Horse  ex- 
poses two  feet  of  galena  ore,  that  yields  $300  sil- 
ver, per  ton.  The  Ten  Broeck,  located  in  August, 
1879,  shows  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  of  galena, 
and  antimonial  silver.  The  vein  is  exposed  for 
nearly  100  feet,  by  shaft  and  open  cut.  The  ore 
yields  from  $150  to  $275  silver,  per  ton.  The  Sov- 
ereign has  an  open  cut  on  the  ledge,  sixteen  feet 
from  the  surface,  showing  a  magnificent  body  of 
gray  carbonates,  that  assays  from  $200  to  $900  sil- 
ver, per  ton,  and  45  per  cent.  lead. 

The  Upper  Wood  Eiver  mines  of  the  region  are 
similar  in  character  to  those  of  Middle  and  Lower 
Wood  Eiver.  In  July,  1879,  the  abundance  of  the 
ore  and  the  high  assays,  attracted  the  attention  of 
miners  far  and  near.  To  the  close  of  the  year, 
seventy-five  locations  had  been  made,  many  of  them 
very  promising.  In  September,  of  that  year.  Ga- 
lena City  was  laid  out,  and  the  Wood  Eiver  district, 
embracing  600  square  miles,  was  organized.  The 
mines  of  Upper  Wood  Eiver  are  all  in  the  vicinity 
of  Galena  City.  The  belt,  so  far  as  developed,  is 
about  three  miles  in  length  and  two  in  width.  It 
is  a  net- work  of  veins,  the  croppings  prominent,  and 
often  traceable  for  thousands  of  feet.  The  Levia- 
than, and  several  other  mines,  yield  largely. 

I  have  been  thus  minute  as  this  wonderful  region 
is  but  Httle  known,  and  to  this  time  does  not  even, 
appear  upon  the  maps  of  the  Territory. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  413 

There  are  many  mines  in  Alturas  county,  which 
with  judicious  management  would  doubtless  yield 
immense  returns,  judging  from  recent  results. 

The  Owyhee  and  other  mines  on  that  section  of 
War  Eagle  Mountain,  are  especially  productive. 
Probably  in  addition  to  the  above,  the  best  known 
and  richest  mines  are  the  Black  Jack,  Florida  Hill, 
Boonville,  Sierra  Nevada,  and  Lone  Tree.  The 
amount  of  bullion  is  steadily  increasing,  new  mines 
are  constantly  being  opened,  some  of  them  being 
very  rich,  while  the  older  ones  are  as  constantly 
yielding  up  their  wealth.  There  is  a  growing  in- 
terest in  the  mineral  resources  of  the  Territory, 
which  are  of  incalculable  extent.  The  great  want 
of  the  country,  is  more  capital  to  work  mines  both 
on  Florida  and  War  Eagle  Mountains.  The  Oro 
Fino  and  Poorman,  both  of  which  have  in  the  past 
yielded  treasure  to  the  amount  of  milhons  of  dollars, 
offer  the  most  tempting  opportunities  to  capitahsts. 

The  mines  in  the  southern  and  eastern  portion  of 
the  Territory  have  begun  to  attract  the  attention 
that  there  immense  wealth  merits,  while  the  rich 
soil  of  that  vast  uncultivated  region  in  the  north, 
with  its  healthful  climate,  and  propitious  surround- 
ings generally,  render  it  most  inviting  for  emigrants, 
and  a  few  years  must  effect  a  wonderful  change 
there,  in  the  way  of  opening  up  the  country. 


414  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 


CHAPTEE  XXYII. 

Washington  Territory — Natural  Features  and  Scenery  of  the  Country, 
The  Walla  Walla  Region — Its  Condition,  Present  and  Prospective 
—The  Climate — Puget  SouMd — An  Adventure. 

We  left  Lewiston,  a  little  town  on  the  Snake 
Biver,  quite  near  the  Indian  reservation,  and  en- 
tered the  county  of  Walla  Walla,  Washington  Ter- 
ritory, which  though  containing  at  the  present  time 
but  two  towns — Walla  Walla,  and  Waitsburg, — is 
the  richest  county  in  the  Territory. 

Washington,  as  the  reader  is  aware,  is  the  extreme 
northwest  of  our  country,  lying  between  the  46th  and 
48th  degrees  north  latitude,  and  between  the  fortieth 
and  forty-eighth  degrees  west  longitude  from  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  It  contains  seventy  thousand  square 
miles,  and  has  a  population  of  63,220.  It  is  an 
empire  in  and  of  itself,  and  has  milhons  of  acres  of 
unappropriated  lands,  although  there  is  now  a  large 
immigration  pouring  into  the  country.  Though 
land  speculators  are  holding  real  estate  at  high 
figures — from  thirty-five  to  forty  doUars  per  acre, 
for  the  most  desirable  regions  controlled  by  them, — 
land  equally  good,  can  be  purchased  for  five  doUars, 
or  appropriated  for  nothing  beyond  the  trouble  of 
staking  it  out,  or  it  may  be  secured  at  government 
prices,  as  preferred.  The  great  grain  raising  region 
comprised  within  the  limits  of  the  Territory,  will  in 
a  few  years,  be  susceptible  of  sustaining  a  population 
ten  times  greater  than  it  is  at  present. 


AND   WONDEES    OF    THE   WEST.  415^ 

The  vast  region  embraced  within  the  boundaries 
of  Washington,  is  diversified  by  lofty  mountain 
ranges,  beautiful  valleys,  and  glens,  and  extensive 
plains.  The  upper  or  northern  quarter  from  Puget 
Sound  to  the  eastern  boundary,  is  a  region  of  moun- 
tains, and  the  Cascade  Eange  extends  through  the 
Territory  from  north  to  south,  dividing  it  into 
nearly  equal  parts.  These  mountains,  as  also  the 
Coast  Eange  and  Blue  Mountains  have  many  tower- 
ing peaks,  which  rise  to  the  height  of  from  eight 
thousand  to  nearly  twelve  thousand  feet,  among 
the  highest  is  Mt.  Baker,  Eainier,  Adams,  St. 
Helena,  Hood  and  Shasta.  The  Territory  is  wa- 
tered by  the  Columbia  Eiver — the  boundary  hne,  on 
the  south,  separating  it  from  Oregon — by  the  Snake, 
and  by  scores  of  tributaries  of  these  majestic  rivers, 
and  by  numerous  mountain  torrents. 

The  natural  scenery  of  Washington  is  singularly 
picturesque.  Fifty  miles  north  of  the  rich  gold 
region,  on  the  Wenatchee  Eiver — a  tributary  of 
the  Columbia,  which  dashes  swiftly  down  the 
mountain  side  to  the  southeast,  through  canons  of 
terrible  depth  and  over  rocks  of  gigantic  propor- 
tions, that  form  beautiful  cascades— is  Lake  Chelan. 
The  lake,  though  not  large,  is  very  beautiful,  both 
in  itself  and  in  its  surroundings.  There  are  but 
few  lakes  in  the  Territory,  and  these  are  very  small. 

To  the  north  of  Walla  Walla,  is  the  Grreat  Plain 
of  the  Columbia  Eiver — a  region  extending  over  an 
area  of  nearly  five  thousand  square  miles ;  and  north 
of  this  is  the  Great  Plateau  of  Spokane ;  while  on 
the  west  of  the  country  which  is  hemmed  in  on 
three  sides  by  the  northern  bend  of  the  Snake  Eiver^ 
is  a  vast  Sage  Plain. 


416  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

The  more  populous  regions  of  Washington  are 
upon  the  western  slope,  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and 
on  the  many  arms  of  Puget  Sound.  But  Walla 
Walla  merits  a  more  elaborate  notice.  The  value 
of  its  taxable  property  in  1879,  was  three  million 
dollars,  half  of  it  being  real  estate.  The  county  has 
thirty-three  surveyed  townships,  nearly  its  whole 
a,rea,  the  only  unsurveyed  land  being  that  which 
lies  along  the  summits  oi  the  Blue  Mountains,  and 
valuable  for  the  timber  it  contains.  Of  the  land 
under  cultivation,  62,649  acres  are  apportioned  for 
^rain — wheat,  barley  and  oats,  while  many  thous- 
ands of  cattle  and  horses  roam  over  the  region. 

The  prosperous  little  city  of  Walla  Walla  has  a 
population  of  four  thousand,  which  is  double  of  that 
of  the  county  at  large.  The  valley  of  the  WaUa 
Walla  has  been  thus  described  by  Bishop  Haven, 
and  no  description  could  be  more  just : 

"  It  was  a  great  surprise  to  me  to  enter  on  this 
superb  valley.  For  three  days,  we  had  toiled  on 
steamboat  and  locomotive,  toiled  up  this  most  ma- 
jestic river,  around  the  portages,  and  up  three  hun- 
dred miles  of  water.  The  banks  were  wooded,  or 
rocky  in  bluffs,  so  that  the  whole  distance,  hardly  a 
green  meadow  had  gladdened  our  eyes.  The  green 
waters  were  very  gladsome.  The  scenery  of  the 
river  grows  mellow  constantly,  as  we  touch  the  val- 
ley of  the  WaUa  Walla  Eiver,  but  not  till  we  draw 
near  the  town  do  we  discover  the  magnificent  en- 
tertainment. The  valley  of  the  Walla  Walla  is  be- 
fore us.  'Lovely,  lovely,'  is  our  translation  of 
Walla  WaUa — 'water,  water'  is  said  to  be  its  real 
meaning.    A  score  of  miles  north  and  south,  two 


AND   WONDEBS    OF   THE   WEST.  417 

score  east  and  west  lies  the  level  landscape.  Wheat- 
fields  glow  far  up  the  mountain  side ;  poplars  stand 
Hke  soldiers  along  the  roadways.  Blue  haze  rests 
on  the  hills.  Emblazoned  in  trees  and  grass,  peep 
out  church  spires.  We  are  amazed  at  such  a  Tad- 
mor,  whose  pillars  are  green  and  gold,  far  up  three 
days'  slow  steaming  into  a  burmng,  treeless  wilder-  , 
ness.     Such  is  the  valley  of  the  Walla  Walla."  I 

It  is  a  great  centre,  and  destined  to  wield  a 
greater  influence  in  the  future.  Not  fifteen  years 
have  passed  since  the  first  house  was  erected,  and 
already,  between  four  and  five  thousand  persons  are 
residing  here;  large  brick  and  iron  stores,  banks 
and  hotels  are  built;  the  chief  streets  are  wet 
down,  and  kept  cool,  and  business  by  millions  is 
transacted.  For  two  hundred  miles  it  is  the  centre 
of  trade.  It  is  three  hundred  miles  away  from  its 
only  other  rival  in  the  nortHwest — Portland,  and 
can  have  no  nearer  rival. 

The  railroad  running  here  from  the  river  is  al- 
ready branching  itself  into  the  country.  Two  arms 
are  being  stretched  out  to  neighboring  settlements, 
and  more  are  to  follow.  Its  eye  is  on  the  east,  and 
the  Northern  Pacific  will  have  to  pass  its  door,  or  it 
wiU  make  for  itself  a  junction  with  both  that  and 
the  Union  Pacific. 

One  pecuharity  is  not  so  agreeable.  A  fine  brown- 
black  alkali  dust  creeps  up  into  the  air,  and  does 
not  settle  night  or  day.  At  Salt  Lake  City,  the  dust 
rises  in  the  day,  but  gets  to  bed  before  morning. 
Here  no  breeze  nor  dampness  allays  the  dust.  It 
simply  continues.  It  looks  like  a  cloud  or  fog. 
Only  the  rains  kill  it,  and  they  come  seldom  in  early 


418  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

autumn.  When  theVheat  begins  to  come  to  market ^ 
the  dust  accumulates ;  fifteen  inches  thick,  it  is  then 
on  the  ground,  and  it  Hfts  itself  up  in  the  atmos- 
phere, and  takes  possession  of  the  valley.  A  ride 
outside  of  the  town,  introduces  you  to  this  most  un- 
welcome character.  The  wheels  roll  round  in  dust 
a  foot  deep,  bring  it  upon  the  wagon  side  and  dump 
it  in  on  your  clothes,  so  thick  that  it  can  be  shoveled 
off,  if  you  had  a  shovel.  The  horse  is  lost  to  sight. 
You  enter  into  the  cloud  and  abide  in  it,  so  long  as 
this  wading  continues.  When  the  heavy  teams 
have  cut  into  this  soil  a  foot  or  more,  the  ash-heap 
is  fearful;  yet  it  is  a  heap  of  richest  ashes.  The  soil 
brings  forth  abundantly.  Unwatered,  the  wheat 
rushes  to  perfection.  Miles  on  miles,  stretch  out 
the  vast  yellow  richness ;  curhng  around  the  foot 
hiUs,  up  the  sides,  over  the  range  goes  the  golden 
belt.  We  can  endure  a  httle  dust  in  the  highway, 
for  such  profusion  of  gold  dust  in  the  field. 

The  Northwest  is  rapidly  fiUing  up.  It  is  full  of 
gold  as  well  as  wheat,  of  silver  no  less  than  of  sheep 
and  cattle.  Its  surface  is  wild,  rough,  rocky,  alka- 
line, with  valleys  hid  among  the  hills.  No  Illinois 
softness,  or  Ohio  rolling  landscape,  woods  and 
grasses,  or  Indiana  levels,  or  Michigan  variety  of 
green,  is  here.  It  is  dry  and  parched,  with  grease- 
bush  and  sage-plant,  save  where  the  water  comes. 
Irrigation  is  its  life. 

Under  the  grand  peaks  that  hne  the  cascades — 
in  sight  of  an  old,  unpainted  block-house  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  with  tall  bluffs  covered  with 
taU  firs,  rising  on  either  hand,  with  the  swift  green 
river  rushing  beneath  my  feet,  I  feel  the  thrilling 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  41^ 

strength  and  calm  of  this  munificence  of  nature." 

The  cHmate  of  Washington  Territory,  though 
generally  healthful,  is  widely  different  from  that 
which  we  had  just  left,  and  widely  different  from 
other  regions  eastward  in  the  same  latitude. 

"  On  our  west  coast,  the  isothermal  line  bends- 
abruptly  northward.  San  Francisco,  in  the  latitude 
of  Kichmond,  has  the  climate  of  Savannah.  Vic- 
toria, on  Vancouver  Island,  far  north  of  Quebec,  is 
as  warm  as  New  York.  In  Portland,  Oregon,  roses 
grow  in  open  air  throughout  the  year.  Walla 
WaUa,  in  Washington  Territory,  latitude  forty-six 
degrees  north,  corresponds  in  temperature  to  Wash- 
ington City,  in  thirty-nine;  Clark's  Fork,  Idaho, in. 
forty-eight,  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  in  forty;  Bitter 
Eoot  Valley,  Montana,  in  forty-six,  to  Philadelphia,, 
in  forty." 

All  points  on  the  Pacific  Slope  are  as  warm  as 
those  from  six  to  ten  degrees  farther  south  on  the 
Atlantic  side.  This  difference  is  by  some,  supposed 
to  be  due  to  the  very  numerous  hot  springs  in  the 
Columbia  region,  and  elsewhere  from  the  Eocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  but  the  prevailing  theory 
is,  that  it  is  caused  by  a  current  of  warm  water  and 
air,  from  the  Indian  ocean,  striking  the  coast  at  an 
acute  angle,  near  San  Francisco,  and  thence  flow- 
ing northward. 

Olympia,  the  capital  of  the  Territory  is  a  growing 
city,  situated  upon  a  southern  arm  of  Puget  Sound, 
upon  the  Hne  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  It 
is  a  place  of  much  importance  already,  and  is  des- 
tined to  become  one  of  the  great  cities  of  the  Pacific 
Coast.   Its  geographical  position  is  especially  favor- 


420 

able  for  an  extensive  trade.  There  are  very  many 
thriving  towns  upon  the  coast  as  well  as  in  the  in- 
terior, and  at  the  present  rate  of  immigration,  these 
towns  will  soon  become  populous,  and  new  ones 
will  spring  up  in  the  favored  regions.  The  growth 
of  the  Territory  has  been  especially  rapid  within 
the  last  few  years,  and  will  become  still  more  so,  as 
soon  as  the  public  appreciate  its  vast  resources. 
Like  other  Territories  to  the  South  and  East,  it  is 
rich  in  gold,  silver  and  other  valuable  ores,  but  thus 
far,  its  mining  interests  have  not  received  as  much 
attention  as  they  certainly  will  do  in  the  near  fu- 
ture. 

Puget  Sound  is  the  great  feature  of  Washington, 
and  a  more  beautiful  expanse  of  water  is  not  to  be 
found  on  the  globe.  Its  many  arms  branch  out  in 
every  direction,  and  its  placid  waters — as  clear  as 
crystal — are  everywhere  dotted  with  little  islands ; 
some  of  which  are  of  singular  beauty.  These  we 
visited.  The  day  was  beautiful  and  the  scene  en- 
chanting. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  Sound  is  a  heavy  forest — a 
prolific  source  of  wealth.  The  lumber  trade  is  im- 
mense ;  and  it  may  now  be  estimated  by  millions  of 
dollars.  It  is  constantly  increasing.  Every  coast 
town  has  its  saw  mills.  Washington  furnishes  the 
best  quality  of  ship  timber,  and  this  finds  a  ready 
market  not  only  all  along  the  coast,  but  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  the  East  Indies  and  even  Aus- 
traha  and  some  countries  of  northern  Europe.  The 
fishing  interests  and  fur  trade  of  the  Territory  are 
very  considerable,  and  a  source  of  great  wealth. 

The  forests  abound  in  valuable  timber,  the  supply 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE   WEST. 


421 


of  which  is  seemingly  inexhaustible,  and  are  full  of 
game  of  every  species.  The  Indians  are  peaceful, 
and  though,  it  is  said,  they  are  inferior  in  some 
respects  to  the  more  eastern  tribes,  they  are  very 
apt  in  acquiring  the  vices  of  the  white  men,  who 
have  come  among  them,  and  it  is  not  at  all  rare  to 


SILVER  LAKE,  WASHINGTON  TERRITORY. 

find  them  engaged  in  gambling,  and  as  great  adepts 
as  any  of  the  class.  We  visited  the  extensive  coal 
regions,  a  source  of  a  brisk  trade  and  of  large  revenue. 
In  many  parts  of  the  Territory  there  are  beauti- 
ful cascades  and  numerous  canons  of  great  depth 
and  sublimity,  and  especially  upon  one  of  the  large 
tributaries  of  the  Columbia,  with  an  unpronouncea- 
ble Indian  name,  signifying  "The  Terrible,"  which 


422  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS   OF   AMBBICA, 

was  one  of  the  finest  lumber  regions  in  the 
country,  and  this  we  determined  to  explore. 
Providing  ourselves  with  ammunition  and  the 
necessary  outfit,  we  attempted  to  make  the  jour- 
ney on  foot.  Our  first  day  was  a  pleasant  ex- 
perience, but  the  second  was  not.  The  country 
was  wild,  rugged  in  the  extreme,  and  the  under- 
brush so  dense  that  it  was  at  times  almost  impossi- 
ble to  proceed.  At  length  we  reached  a  region 
where  the  land  was  more  level,  and  travehng  was 
by  no  means  difiicult.  It  had  never  occurred  to  us 
that  there  might  be  danger  of  losing  our  way  in  the 
trackless  forest,  and  we  went  confidently  forward 
till  toward  night.  The  sun  had  not  gone  down,  but 
in  the  forest  it  was  nearly  dark.  Arriving  at  a  suit- 
able locality,  near  a  running  rivulet,  we  were  about 
to  kindle  a  camp-fire  and  make  preparations  for  the 
night,  when  we  heard  the  sound  of  human  voices, 
and  proceeding  in  the  direction  from  whence  they 
came,  we  suddenly  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of 
several  Indian  lodges.  We  were  kindly  received  by 
the  red  men,  who,  having  often  been  in  the  coast 
towns,  spoke  our  language  well  enough. 

We  encamped  for  the  night,  and  next  morning 
proceeded  on  our  way,  the  Indians  having  assured 
us  that  we  were  within  a  few  miles  of  a  settlement, 
before  reaching  which,  we  would  pass  through  a  re- 
gion where  a  number  of  wood- choppers  were  at 
work  on  the  banks  of  a  large  water-course.  After 
a  long  and  tedious  journey,  observing,  as  we  sup- 
posed, the  directions  we  had  received,  we  arrived — 
not  at  the  settlement,  not  at  the  lumber  camp,  but 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  very  Indian  encampment  we 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  423 

had  left  in  the  morning,  having  made  a  circuit  of 
many  miles.  Another  night  with  our  Indian  friends, 
who  were  greatly  amused  at  our  want  of  skill  in 
wood-craft,  and  we  started  next  morning  under 
guidance  of  a  stalwart  Indian,  who  volunteered  to 
accompany  us,  and  about  mid-day  found  ourselves 
at  the  lumber  camp. 

There  were  a  dozen  brawny  men,  with  long  hair 
and  full  beards,  and  of  several  nationalities.  They 
gave  us  a  hearty  welcome,  and  offered  us  food  and 
comfortable  lodgings,  which  we  gladly  accepted. 
Wishing  to  reward  our  guide,  Warrington  incau- 
tiously opened  his  belt,  in  whi/3h  he  had  several 
hundred  dollars  in  gold  and  silver,  and  placed  a 
piece  in  the  hand  of  the  Indian,  who  then  departed. 

I  observed  that  the  act  was  noticed  by  several  of 
the  men,  but  it  did  not  then  occur  to  Mr.  Warring- 
ton that  it  was  a  most  imprudent  measure,  however 
much  he  thought  of  the  affair  at  a  later  time.  We 
were  informed  by  the  lumber  men  that  a  large  pan- 
ther had,  the  previous  evening,  been  seen  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  camp,  and  that  it  would  be  prudent 
to  share  their  lodgings,  rather  than  to  pitch  our 
tent  elsewhere;  and,  unsuspectingly,  we  assented. 
That  night,  by  the  light  of  the  camp-fire,  we  passed 
a  pleasant  hour,  and  gained  information  concerning 
the  river  and  canons  and  cascades,  which  increased 
our  curiosity  to  see  it  for  ourselves.  Our  tent  that 
night,  was  of  the  branches  and  boughs  of  trees.  Be- 
fore retiring  we  spoke  to  each  other  of  Warrington's 
imprudence,  and  took  the  precaution  of  sleeping 
with  our  rifles  by  our  side.  About  midnight,  a 
stealthy  step  was  heard,  approaching  with  greatest 


424  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

caution;  softly,  then  evidently  pausing  to  listen;  at 
length  an  arm  was  cautiously  thrust  between  the 
bushes,  and,  as  silent  as  a  shadow,  a  man  stood  be- 
fore us.  In  an  instant  Barstow  sprang  up  and 
seized  the  villain  by  the  throat,  but  with  equal 
dexterity  he  struck  at  Barstow  with  a  long 
hunting  knife,  which,  fortunately,  inflicted  but  a 
very  shght  flesh  wound,  and  a  moment  later  had 
vanished.  The  camp  was  a  scene  of  confusion — the 
woodsmen  were  instantly  astir,  and,  singularly 
enough,  not  a  man  was  missing.  Dihgent  search 
was  made,  but  the  villain,  whoever  he  was,  had 
escaped.  It  was  surmised  by  the  men  that  it  was 
our  Indian  guide,  who  had  returned  for  a  greater 
fee ;  but  we  had  had  a  glimpse  of  the  intruder  by 
the  dim  fire  light,  and  knew  him  to  be  a  white  man. 
He  was,  as  we  believed,  among  the  number  who 
came  to  investigate  the  cause  of  the  alarm. 

The  next  morning  we  went  forward  upon  our 
expedition,  and  accomplishing  the  purpose  for  which 
we  came,  we  proceeded  to  Portland,  the  capital  of 
Oregon. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  425 


CHAPTEK  XXVIII. 

The  Columbia  Kiver— A  Trip  to  Portland — Iron  Mines — The  Beautiful* 
Valley  of  the  Willamette— The  Resources  of  the  Territory — The 
Future  Commercial  Emporium  of  the  Pacific  Coast — Mountain 
Scenery — Climate,  Etc. 

Down  from  the  lakes  of  British  Columbia,  south- 
ward, along  the  base  of  great  mountain  ranges  for 
five  hundred  miles,  flows  the  majestic  river — the 
Columbia,  receiving  from  point  to  point,  the  wilhng 
tribute  of  scores  of  great  streams,  and  of  a  thousand 
mountain  torrents,  which  in  eager  haste  come,, 
dashing  madly  over  precipitous  cliffs  and  through 
wild  and  deep  canons — onward  rushing,  like  fleet 
coursers  flecked  with  foam,  they  bring  their  spark- 
ling liquid  wealth  to  the  kingly  river  of  the  great 
northwest,  that  rolls  in  majesty  onward,  for  four 
hundred  miles  beyond,  to  where  the  setting  sun 
throws  his  last  golden  rays  upon  the  in-rolhng 
waves  of  the  western  sea;  there  it  expands  to  a 
width  of  several  miles. 

Leaving  the  httle  town  of  Lexington,  situated 
upon  the  southern  bank,  we  took  passage  upon  a 
river  steamer.  For  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  our  course 
was  eastward.  To  the  magnificent  views  of  grand 
mountain  and  vaUey  scenery  on  either  hand,  waa 
added  that  of  little  towns  and  hamlets  on  the  river 
banks.  At  Monticello, — through  which  in  early 
time  will  run  heavily  freighted  trains  over  tha 
Northern  Pacific  Kailroad — the  river  bends  sharply 
to  the  south,  for  a  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles. 


426  LIFE   IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Willaraette— the  great 
western  tributary  which  flows  in  from  the  South, 
we  continued  on  our  way  to  Portland,  a  distance  of 
twelve  miles  from  the  Columbia,  and  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  by  water  to  the  sea. 

Portland  is  a  pretty  and  rapidly  growing  city,  of 
about  twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  It  has  many 
imposing  business  houses  and  elegant  residences, 
and  is  destined  to  become  a  great  city  at  no 
distant  day,  having  all  the  elements  of  solid  and 
permanent  prosperity.  Within  fifteen  miles  of  Port- 
land, iron  ore  has  been  found  in  great  abundance, 
some  of  it  yielding  from  fifty  to  sixty  per  cent,  of 
the  metal,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  there  is 
both  coal  and  wood  in  limitless  supply.  This  mineral 
is  a  great  source  of  wealth  to  the  people  of  Oregon, 
for,  on  the  Pacific  coast  alone,  not  less  than  a  hun- 
dren  tons  of  iron  are  required  daily,  and  this  demand 
will  be  vastly  increased  as  railroads  multiply,  and 
mining  regions  become  developed.  The  foundries 
of  California  and  of  Oregon  are  constantly  doing  an 
immense  business,  in  making  the  stamps  and  other 
mining  machinery,  and,  even  in  full  blast,  cannot 
supply  the  present  demand. 

In  the  extent  of  coal  and  iron,  essential  elements 
of  national  wealth  and  greatness,  our  country  sur- 
passes all  others.  The  United  States  has  one  square 
mile  of  coal-field  to  every  fifteen  square  miles  of 
territory.  This,  in  the  great  extent  of  our  posses- 
sions, gives  us  an  estimate  of  200,000  square  miles 
of  workable  coal.  Compare  this  area  with  the 
number  of  square  miles  of  coal-fields  in  the  British 
Islands,  given  on  the  authority  of  their  geologists, 
as  8,130  square  miles  of  workable  coal. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE    WEST.  427 

From  the  product  of  her  coal  and  iron  mines, 
England,  for  two  centuries,  has  monopohzed  and 
ruled  the  commerce  of  the  world. 

Her  prosperity  is  involved  in  the  duration  of  her 
coal-fields.  It  is  estimated  by  the  statisticians  of 
Great  Britain  that  their  available  supply  of  coal 
will  be  exhausted,  under  the  present  rate  of  con- 
sumption, in  three  hundred  years  from  the  present 
time.  We  may  therefore  form  an  idea  and  rough 
estimate  of  the  great  wealth  that  is  stored  away  in 
our  exhaustless  coal-fields,  to  be  developed  with  our 
energy  as  a  free  people,  under  the  protection  of  a 
repubhcan  form  of  government. 

Scarcely  less  valuable  will  the  iron  mines  prove 
to  Oregon,  than  her  immense  silver  and  gold  regions, 
the  enormous  wealth  of  which  has  been  reported, 
and  evidenced  by  heavy  shipments  of  bullion. 

We  proceeded  by  rail  to  Albany,  eighty- six  miles 
distant,  passing  through  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Willamette.  For  miles  and  miles,  we  saw  rich  and 
productive  farms,  and  orchards  of  dehcious  fruits,  of 
varieties  common  to  the  latitude,  but  of  larger 
growth ;  farm  houses  with  pretty  gardens,  immense 
barns,  telling  of  great  harvests,  cattle  in  large  herds, 
and  everything  affording  evidence  unmistakable  of 
the  greatest  thrift  and  prosperity.  Here,  a  vast 
expanse  of  prairie,  and  yonder,  large  groves  of  fine 
timber,  with  here  and  there  a  partial  clearing, 
where  the  hand  of  enterprise  and  wilhng  toil  is 
adding  to  the  wealth  of  the  country,  and  securing 
the  inheritance  heaven  designed  for  all,  a  home  of 
comfort,  happiness  and  thrift.  This  delightful  val- 
ley, the  most  populous  of  any  region  in  the  Terri- 


428  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

tory,  is  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles  in  width,  and- 
comprises  not  less  than  fiye  million  acres,  the  soil 
of  every  one  as  rich  as  Eastern  gardens. 

The  Willamette  is  navigable  for  more  than  a 
hundred  miles,  except  at  Oregon  City,  where  locks 
have  been  required  to  pass  around  the  Falls — a 
grand  water  power  which  will  in  time,  no  doubt,  be 
utihzed  for  turning  mill  wheels ;  for  the  capitalist 
cannot  fail  to  see  that  this  little  town  may  easily  be 
made  a  great  manufacturing  city.  He  would  not 
be  obhged  to  purchase  wool  abroad,  for  of  all  the 
pursuits  in  Oregon,  there  is  perhaps  none  more 
generally  engaging  the  attention  of  the  people  than 
sheep-raising. 

We  visited  Salem,  still  further  to  the  South,  and 
many  other  places  west  of  the  mountains,  every- 
where discovering  evidences  of  present  and  increas- 
ing prosperity.  The  delightful  region  of  the  Willam- 
ette valley  afforded  many  charming  pictures  for 
memory's  gallery,  to  which  we  turned  with  delight  a 
little  later  on,  when  visiting  lands  less  favored  with 
natural  scenery. 

Ten  years  prior  to  the  gold  discoveries  in  Cahfor- 
nia — in  1849,  emigrants  from  the  Eastern  States 
and  from  Europe,  came  to  Oregon,  through  the 
South  Pass.  The  charming  valley  of  the  Willamette 
was  then  the  only  favorite  region,  but  lands  quite 
as  desirable  in  other  parts  of  the  Territory,  have 
since  that  date,  become  the  chosen  home  of  thous- 
ands,  and  the  gold  and  silver  fields  have  induced 
still  other  thousands  to  come  and  "  try  their  luck" 
in  mining. 

Oregon  is  not  only  rich  in  gold,  silver,  and  iron, 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  429 

but  also  in  copper,  lead  and  marble.  She  sends  to 
tlie  markets  of  the  world  vast  quantities  of  lumber, 
wool,  fish  and  fruit. 

The  outlook  for  Oregon  is  most  promising.  It 
has  all  the  elements,  and  many  important  resources 
of  a  rich  and  prosperous  State,  and  before  the  lapse 
of  many  years  it  may  become  the  leading  State  on 
the  Pacific  Coast ;  and  in  the  region  between  the 
southern  boundary  of  Oregon  and  Puget  Sound  in 
Washington,  may  rise  a  commercial  emporium 
greater  even  than  San  Francisco  is  to-day.  The 
future  of  these  Territories  is  full  of  grand  probabili- 
ties which  the  years  of  the  next  decade  will  doubt- 
less develop  into  realization,  by  a  continuance  of 
the  wise  policy  which  now  prevails,  of  good  govern- 
ment, enterprise  and  avoidance  of  land  speculations. 
New  towns  and  villages  are  everywhere  springing  up, 
and  the  great  influx  of  immigration  is  evidence  that 
the  superior  attractions  of  this  vast  region  are 
already  becoming  widely  known  and  justly  appre- 
ciated. 

Oregon  has  an  area  of  more  than  a  hundred  thous- 
and square  miles,  being  four  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  in  length,  and  two  hundred  and  forty  in  width 
— lying  between  the  42d  and  45th  degrees  north  lat- 
itude. It  is  diversified  by  mountains,  valleys  and 
plains.  The  great  ranges  of  mountains  are  the  Cas- 
<5ades,  which  extend  through  the  Territory  from 
north  to  south,  and  the  Blue  Mountains,  in  the 
eastern  part.  There  are  several  mountain  peaks 
especially  notable  for  their  great  altitude;  among 
which  are  "Pilot  Mountain," — so  called  by  Colonel 
Fremont— "Hood,"  ^'Jefferson,"  ^' Three  Sisters," 
and  a  few  others. 


430  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

There  are  two  systems  of  climate  in  Oregon^ 
doubtless  owing  to  the  great  northern  range  of 
mountains.  During  the  rainy  season,  west  of  the 
mountains,  rain  falls  almost  continually.  In  the  re- 
gion east  of  the  mountains,  the  climate  is  colder, 
with  more  frequent  frosts.  There  is  also  a  great 
difference  in  the  floral  productions  and  in  the  for- 
ests. The  varieties  of  wood  most  abundant  in  the 
western  division  are  oak,  maple  and  mountain  lau- 
rel— the  latter  a  very  beautiful  evergreen,  which 
sometimes  grows  to  the  great  height  of  seventy  or 
even  eighty  feet.  It  has  shining  leaves  of  a  deep, 
dark  green,  and  it  is  said  that  the  tree  sheds  its  ex- 
ternal layer  of  bark  annually,  leaving  the  trunk  and 
branches  quite  smooth,  and  of  a  delicate  pale  red 
hue. 

As  in  Washington,  the  mountain  sides,  especially 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  Territory,  are  clothed 
with  heavy  forests. 

Passing  to  the  eastern  division,  we  find  the  tree& 
chiefly  of  pitch  pine,  red  and  white  fir,  juniper^ 
aspen  and  cottonwood.  Along  the  creeks,  wil- 
lows grow  very  abundantly,  and  in  the  mountains 
there  is  found,  in  considerable  quantities,  a  hard  and 
beautiful  wood  known  as  mountain  mahogany. 
The  pitch-pine  is,  however,  far  more  numerous  than 
any  other  tree;  the  mountains  in  the  south  and 
central  parts  of  the  Territory  being  heavily  tim- 
bered with  it. 

There  are  many  beautiful  lakes  in  Grant  and 
Jackson  counties.  The  country  generally  is  drained 
by  numberless  rivers  and  streams;  the  largest 
being  the   ^' WiUamette,"   ^^Des  Chutes,"    '^John 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  431 

Days,"  ^'Crooked,"  ^'Powder,"  ^^ Owyhee," etc.  Be- 
tween the  Cascade  Mountains  and  the  western 
spur  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  in  Wasco  County, 
there  is  a  vast  sage  desert,  which  is  in  singular  con- 
trast with  the  extensive  and  delightful  valleys  in 
Grant  County,  on  the  east.  The  valleys  of  the 
great  rivers  throughout  the  Territory,  are  exceed- 
ingly fertile. 

Stein  Mountain,  the  highest  mountain  peak  in 
the  southern  section,  is  seventy-five  miles  south  of 
Fort  Harney,  and  twenty-five  miles  south  of  this 
post  is  a  broad  expanse  of  water,  known  as  Malheur 
Lake,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  are  extensive  swamps. 
To  the  southwest  is  Harney's  Lake.  Immense  flocks 
of  water  fowl  of  various,  kinds  resort  to  both  of  these 
lakes  in  summer  and  fall.  The  soil  of  the  valley  in 
some  places  would  be  well  adapted  for  raising  grain, 
were  it  not  for  heavy  frosts.  It  is  an  excellent  graz- 
ing country.  The  stone  used  for  building  purposes 
in  this  region,  is  of  volcanic  origin,  easily  shaped 
when  first  quarried,  but  very  hard  upon  exposure  to 
the  air. 

Before  leaving  Oregon,  we  visited  the  Des  Chutes 
or  Fall  Kiver,  to  see  the  wonderful  canons  and 
beautiful  cascades,  which  led  the  French  explorers 
to  give  it  the  name  it  bears.  We  also  ascended  the 
highest  peak  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  though 
the  ascent  was  toilsome  in  the  extreme,  and  not  a 
Httle  perilous,  we  were  repaid  by  the  new  experience 
gained.  There  are  many  things  in  life  vastly  more 
agreeable  than  chmbing  steep  mountains,  so  steep 
that  to  proceed  a  dozen  rods  sometimes  requires  a 
half  hour  of  severe  toil.    After  climbing  patiently 


432  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

and  hopefully  foot-by-foot  for  a  height  of  three  or 
four  thousand  feet,  it  is  not  remarkably  inspiring  on 
reaching  the  summit  of  a  peak,  to  find  ourselves 
completely  enveloped  in  clouds  so  dense  that  noth- 
ing can  be  seen  beyond  the  circumscribed  area  upon 
which  we  maintain  a  precarious  foot-hold. 

Descending  from  the  peak,  we  entered  the  deep 
ravine  leading  to  the  Falls.  Perpendicular  cliffs 
shut  us  in,  while  through  the  centre  rushed  with 
arrowy  swiftness  the.  great  tributary  of  the  Des 
Chutes  Eiver.  Then  we  entered  a  forest  of  dark 
pines,  and  walking  on  for  a  mile  or  so,  caught  sight 
of  the  white  mists,  amid  which  rainbows  were 
playing.  Soon  we  began  to  ascend  the  mountain 
side,  till  we  reached  a  little  green  arbor,  just  opposite 
the  Falls.  They  are  not  as  grand  as  some  we  have 
seen,  but  have  great  picturesque  beauty.  The  ciro- 
Hng  mountains  seem  to  shut  in  the  sound,  making 
the  roar  almost  deafening,  as  down  the  mountain 
side  poured  the  swift  waters  in  a  sheet  of  white 
foam,  hundreds  of  feet  in  extent.  A  vast  basin  of 
rock  received  it,  and  then  the  waters  dashed  in  fury 
down  into  the  abyss  below.  Clambering  down  the 
dangerous  dechvity,  we  retraced  our  steps  along  the 
gorge. 

The  population  of  Oregon  in  1869  was  one  hun- 
dred thousand;  it  is  now  probably  150,000 — five 
times  as  great  as  that  of  Washington  Territory. 
Oregon  contains  60,975,360  acres  —  Washington 
44,796,160  acres ;  no  danger  to  settlers  from  being 
overcrowded  in  either  Territory. 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.         433 


CHAPTEE  XXIX. 

Off  for  California — The  Fort  Benton  Party — First  Ride  Over  the  Great 
Pacific  Railroad — Wonderful  Scenery — Mountains  and  Canons- 
Hot  Springs— A  Race  for  Life — Arrival  in  California — Carson  Val- 
ley— Lake  Tahoe — Mining  Interests,  Etc. 

By  stage  and  by  rail,  we  proceeded  to  Ogden, 
Utah,  the  junction  of  the  Union  and  Central  Pa- 
•cific  Railroads,  with  the  purpose  of  passing  through 
the  "  Silver  State"  to  California.  A  more  direct 
route  might  have  been  chosen,  but  as  the  gentle- 
men of  our  party,  who  had  returned  from  Fort  Ben- 
ton in  the  Elliot,  proposed  to  join  us  at  Ogden,  we 
assented  to  the  arrangement,  and  made  a  long  de- 
tour, for  the  purpose  of  meeting  them, — all  the 
more  readily,  as  none  of  the  party  had  ever  passed 
over  that  great  national  highway. 

Our  friends  had  boarded  the  train  at  Omaha,  and 
upon  their  arrival  at  Ogden,  we  joined  them. 

Leaving  Ogden,  which  is  882  miles  distant  from 
San  Francisco,  we  soon  had  an  unobstructed  view 
of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  With  two  engines  at- 
tached, we  left  the  delightful  valley,  and  the  long 
train  toiled  up  the  mountain  side.  At  length  the 
summit  was  reached.  The  beautiful  lake  was  no 
longer  seen;  but  before  us  rose  new  and  varied 
scenery.  Utah  was  passed,  and  we  had  entered  -Ne- 
vada— a  vast  Territory  of  84,000  square  miles.  The 
view  was  tame  and  uninteresting.  We  beheld  only 
a  barren  waste  of  worthless  land,  utterly  destitute 
of  vegetation,  if  we  except  the  ever  present  sage 


434  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEBIC  A, 

bush.  There  was  no  si^n  of  civiMzatioii,  nothing- 
to  denote  the  presence  of  a  single  human  being,  or 
that  one  had  ever  visited  this  desolate  region,  ex- 
cept that  now  and  then  we  passed  a  little  rude  rail- 
way station,  and  at  long  distances  a  house,  time 
worn,  and  as  cheerless  to  all  appearance,  as  the  re- 
gion itself.  How  or  why  people  live  in  such  isola- 
tion from  the  world,  amid  solitudes  so  monotonous 
and  cheerless,  I  leave  others  to  determine,  being" 
utterly  unable  to  do  so. 

We  are  still  surrounded  by  bald  mountains,  and 
arid,  trackless  regions,  that  not  even  the  proposed 
artesian  wells  for  irrigation  can,  by  any  possibihty, 
render  capable  of  bearing  enough  of  vegetation  to 
serve  for  a  sheep's  sustenance  for  a  single  day. 
Here  we  have  found  an  ''American  Desert" — great 
or  small,  the  extent  yet  to  be  determined.  My  for- 
mer respect  for  the  old  time  map-maker  began  to 
return — perhaps,  after  all,  we  have  a  "  Great  Amer- 
ican Desert." 

But  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  this  is  a  mineral 
region,  and  in  the  infancy  of  its  development.  Six 
or  eight  kinds  of  minerals  are  found  here,  and  it 
may  be  believed  that  in  the  mountains  and  plains, 
of  this  desolate  region  is  garnered  up  wealth  enough 
to  enrich  the  whole  world. 

As  our  train  is  dashing  onward  over  this  treeless^ 
trackless  region,  we  will  glance  at  that  part  of  the 
route  over  which  our  friends  had  passed  in  crossing 
from  Omaha  to  Ogden. 

Just  beyond  the  precincts  of  the  flourishing  city 
of  Omaha,  they.passed  through  a  dehghtful  farming 
region,  the  abundant  grains  and  grasses  everywhere 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.         435 

evidencing  the  singular  productiveness  of  the  soil. 
The  country  is  sufficiently  undulating  and  watered, 
but  soon  the  undulation  sinks  to  the  level  of  a 
plain.  There  is  no  timber,  not  even  a  copse  or  tree 
to  be  seen.  The  soil  becomes  poorer;  the  occu- 
pants of  the  rude  frontier  cabins  do  not  even  at- 
tempt to  make  a  garden;  but  bunch  grass  and  other 
coarse  varieties  are  abundant  enough  here,  and 
cattle  roam  over  the  plain.  Soon  the  Platte  River 
is  reached  and  crossed,  and  the  trains  arrive  at 
Kearney  Junction.  Beyond  this  place  our  old 
aversion— the  interminable  sage  bush  begins;  deso- 
lation and  barrenness  increases  with  every  mile,, 
till  scarce  a  bird  or  beast,  or  tree  or  shrub  relieves- 
the  weary  eye.  Dreary  soHtude  reigns  on  all  sides,, 
relieved  only  by  an  occasional  village  of  prairie  dogs 
with  their  strange  consorts,  the  owls  and  snakes. 
The  snake  makes  a  dinner  of  the  prairie  dog,  and 
the  owl  of  the  snake,  but  the  prairie  dog  who 
escapes  his  mortal  enemy,  fares  worse  than  the 
others — he  feeds  upon  expectation  surely,  for  there 
is  nothing  tangible  to  satisfy  his  appetite. 

Reaching  the  point  where  an  ascending  grade 
begins,  the  first  mountain  ranges  appear  in  the  dim 
and  hazy  distance.  Soon  afterward,  the  train  ar- 
rives at  Cheyenne,  a  flourishing  little  city,  but 
dependent  for  the  staff  of  life  upon  neighboring 
States.  But  the  traveler,  weary  of  monotony,  ex- 
periences a  sense  of  rehef  in  knowing  that  the  train 
has  already  begun  to  ascend  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Two  engines  are  now  required,  for  the  grade  is  steep, 
— at  the  rate  of  sixty-eight  feet  to  the  mile,  and  for 
one  mile  it  is  ninety.     The  road  winds  amid  pro- 


436  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

jecting  rocks,  until  finally,  the  summit  is  gained; 
an  altitude  of  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  and  rock-ribbed  mountains  towering 
high  upon  either  side. 

The  almost  endless  variety  of  mountain  scenery 
is  always  remarked  by  the  traveler.  Mountains 
never  weary  the  eye — they  always  present  some 
phase  of  novelty,  some  new  wonder  or  some  detail 
of  interest.  We  may  weary  of  the  vast  plain  and 
of  the  expanse  of  ocean,  however  startling  their 
first  impression,  for  they  present  only  monotony, 
but  the  endless  variety  of  the  "everlasting  hills"  ris- 
ing in  majesty  above  the  plane  of  earth,  affords 
delight  however  often,  or  from  whatever  point  of 
sight  we  view  them. 

Some  of  these  mountains  rise  perpendicularly, 
others  ledge  on  ledge,  terrace  above  terrace ;  others 
slope  gradually  and  gracefully  from  base  to  summit ; 
some  rise  in  colossal  grandeur,  one  massive  rock 
upon  another,  as  placed  in  position  by  the  skill  of 
man,others  in  promiscuous  heaps,like  mighty  castles, 
the  storied  walls  and  jutting  peaks  of  which  had 
been  jostled  by  an  earthquake ;  some  conical,  others 
triangular, — all  of  wondrous  grandeur. 

The  train  enters  Echo  Canon,  where  the  traveler 
looks  on  some  of  the  wildest  scenery  in  the  world. 
Down  goes  the  train  thundering,  dashing,  winding 
and  curving  amid  frowning  battlements  of  rocks 
rising  hundreds  of  feet  above  you.  You  plunge 
down  a  canon,  seventeen  miles  in  length,  full  of 
shadows  and  weird  forms,  walled  in  by  rocks,  which 
rise  in  rugged  majesty,  and  of  ever  varying  form 
and  color,  to  inaccessible  heights.    Now,  before  you 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  437 

is  a  projecting  mountain,  seemingly  against  which 
the  train  will  be  shattered  to  atoms,  hut  a  moment 
more  you  are  passing  under  the  mountain,  in  total 
darkness,  stunned  by  the  roar  and  din  of  the  train, 
as  it  dashes  onward,  swiftly  onward.  Objects  of 
wonder  are  met  on  every  hand,  but  the  speed  of  the 
train  admits  of  but  a  hasty  glance. 

After  passing  "Castle  Eocks,"  "Hanging  Eock'* 
comes  into  view;  this  overhangs  its  base  for  fifty 
feet ;  then  "  Jack-in- the-Pulpit  Eock,"  the  "  Mormon 
Fortifications, "  "  Steamboat  Eock, "  "  Sentinel  Eock, " 
"  Monument,"  etc.,  till  the  train  emerges  from  these 
scenes  of  terror  into  the  sunlight,  beauty  and  fer- 
tihty  of  Weber  valley — a  transition  as  sudden  as  it 
is  surprising  and  grateful. 

This  canon,  says  Wolfe,  is  memorable  as  the  scene 
of  Miles'  Eide,  one  of  the  most  exciting  incidents 
in  the  history  of  railroading  in  the  West.  Miles 
had  started  from  the  upper  part  of  the  canon  for 
Weber  Eiver,  at  its  lower  end,  with  a  long  train  of 
cars,  loaded  with  ties  and  iron  rails.  On  his  way, 
he  discovered  that  the  train  had  parted  at  a  certain 
level  place  in  the  track,  but  now  on  the  down  grade 
again,  the  detached  portion  was  thundering  along 
behind  with  increasing  and  uncontrolled  velocity, 
threatening  a  colhsion  and  the  destruction  of  the 
entire  train,  with  all  in  charge.  Two  Dutchmen 
were  on  the  pursuing  cars,  but  they  were  fast  asleep, 
and  did  not  hear  the  signal  "down  brakes,"  that 
came  shrieking  back  through  the  canon.  "Let  on 
the  steam !  '*  shouted  Miles  to  his  engineer,  and  on 
rushed  the  train  Hke  the  wind,  mile  after  mile  with 
destruction  close  in  the  wake,  and  gaining  on  them. 


438  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

The  next  thing  was  to  pitch  off  the  ties,  as  they 
raced  for  Hfe,  with  the  hope  of  throwing  the  pursuing 
cars  from  the  track.  At  last,  meeting  a  tie  or  some 
other  obstruction,  they  "  flew  the  track  "  and  bounded 
thirteen  feet  into  a  httle  creek.  As  soon  as  possible, 
the  flying  train  was  stopped,  and  the  hands  went 
back  to  pick  up  the  dead  Dutchmen,  but  found  them 
sitting  on  a  grassy  spot,  smoking  their  pipes  and 
just  beginning  to  realize,  from  the  wreck  around 
them,  the  dreadful  peril  through  which  they  had 
passed. 

Eushing  on  and  down,  the  train  reaches  the  Nar- 
rows, where  the  Mormons  prepared  to  oppose  the 
inarch  of  U.  S.  troops,  under  Qen.  A.  S.  Johnston. 
Upon  the  tops  of  the  precipitous  cliffs,  immense 
piles  of  stones  of  great  size  were  collected  with  the 
intention  of  rolling  them  down  upon  the  invading 
army,  when  in  its  march  it  should  reach  this  defile. 
A  most  effective  mode  of  destruction,  copied  from 
the  example  of  the  "  Martyred  Saints  "  of  Switzer- 
land.    They  were  not  used,  however. 

Just  before  leaving  the  canon,  we  notice  "  Brom- 
ley's Cathedral"  and  "Pulpit  Eock."  At  the  base 
of  the  mountains,  and  extending"  for  some  distance, 
the  rocks  assume  the  shape  of  spires,  towers  and 
domes,  so  as  to  convey,  at  a  distance,  a  good  idea  of 
a  grand  cathedral. 

A  little  further  on,  the  train  enters  Weber  Canon, 
which  rivals  Echo  Canon  in  the  number  of  its  natural 
wonders,  and  the  magnitude  and  wild  grandeur  of 
its  precipitous  rocks.  Evidently  the  entire  canon 
was  at  one  time  the  bed  of  Weber  Eiver,  which  is 
still  a  clear,  strong  stream  over  the  sinuosities,  of 


AND   WONDERS    OP   THE    WEST.  439 

^hich  the  road  passes  again  and  again  upon  trestle- 
work,  or  avoids  by  means  of  tunnels,  blasted  out  of 
the  sohd  rock.  The  traveler  will  notice  "  Battlement 
Rocks,"  the  "Witches,"  the  "One  thousand-mile- 
Tree,"  "Slate  Cut"  or  "Photograph  Rocks,"  the 
■^'  Devil's  Slide,"  etc.  The  latter  curious  formation 
•consists  of  two  parallel  lines  of  immense  slab  rock, 
standing  on  edge,  deeply  imbedded  in  the  mountain 
side,  a  few  feet  apart,  of  equal  height,  and  travers- 
ing the  mountain  from  summit  to  base. 

The  banks  of  the  river  in  midsummer,  are  fringed 
with  wild  flowers  of  various  kinds,  the  perfume  of 
which  fills  the  air  and  the  railway  coaches  in  passing. 

Crossing  the  river  again,  with  high  mountains 
on  both  sides,  we  soon  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  snowy 
tops  of  the  Wasatch  range,  and  are  out  of  the 
canon,  and  in  an  open  level  country.  A  little  later 
we  pass  "  Devil's  Grate  Mountain,"  crowned  with 
snow.  It  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  places  on 
the  route,  presenting  viewS| entirely  unlike  all  others 
hitherto  obtained.  At  a  place  called  the  "  Devil's 
Gate,"  the  bridge  is  ninety-two  feet  in  height.  In 
the  valley  below  are  seen  cultivated  gardens,  and 
also  the  old  stage  road,  upon  the  bed  of  which  the 
:grass  is  springing. 

Why  the  name  of  His  Satanic  majesty  is  so  often 
used,  is  not  quite  clear.  Whether  he  resides  in  the 
neighborhood  or  not,  does  not  appear.  There  are 
a  number  of  Mormon  villages,  not  far  away. 

The  train  next  arrives  at  Ogden.  Our  train  hav- 
ing passed  the  desert,  the  scenery  becomes  more 
interesting  as  we  proceed.  We  reach  Wells,  a 
small  village  situated  at  the  northern  terminus  of 


440  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

the  Humboldt  Mountains.  These  are  among  the 
highest,  grandest  mountains  seen  on  the  entire 
route,  Hfting  their  imperial  heads  high  above  their 
lowlier  neighbors,  crowned  with  the  drapery  of 
eternal  winter,  plowed  with  deep,  dark  gorges, 
forming  a  succession  of  smaller  ranges,  while  the 
melting  snow  covers  them  with  deep  verdure  of 
spring. 

Passing  around  the  mountains  to  the  southwest^ 
we  enter  the  charming  Humboldt  Valley — eighty 
miles  in  length,  with  an  average  width  of  ten  miles^ 
with  the  Humboldt  Kiver,  a  beautiful  little  stream,, 
traversing  its  entire  length.  The  soil  is  a  dark, 
rich  loam,  but  owing  to  the  shortness  of  the  season, 
it  is  utterly  useless  for  agricultural  purposes. 

The  celebrated  Hot  Springs,  rich  mines  of  gold, 
silver,  and  sulphur — the  latter  so  hard  and  pure  as 
to  require  blasting,  are  found  here. 

Soon  we  arrive  at  Elko,  a  beautiful  little  town  of 
1,200  inhabitants.  On  Smith's  creek  in  this  county, 
there  is  a  remarkable  stratum  of  steatite,  resting 
horizontally  in  a  steep  bluff  of  volcanic  matter, 
which  flanks  the  eastern  side  of  Smith's  creek  val- 
ley. Steatite  is  a  soft  magnesian  rock  having  a 
soapy  feel,  presenting  grayish-green,  brown  and 
whitish  shades  of  color.  It  is  a  variety  of  talc  and 
consists  of  silica  and  magnesia.  It  forms  extensive 
beds,  and  is  quarried  for  fire-places  and  for  coarse 
utensils.  It  is  also  called  pot  stone ^  lard  stone,  and 
soap  stone.  The  stratum  is  from  three  to  ten  feet 
in  diameter.  It  is  easily  worked  and  is  a  veritable 
soap  mine.  In  fact,  the  farmers,  cattle-men  and 
sheep-herders,  in  that  region  all  use  the  natural 
article  for  washing, — so  it  is  said. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE    WEST. 


441 


Passing  numerous  stations  and  objects  of  interest^ 
we  arrive  at  Eeno,  the  county  seat  of  Washoe 
county.  It  contains  a  population  of.  1,500.  It  was 
named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Reno,  who  fell  at  the  battle 
of  South  Mountain,  and  important  as  being  the 
seat  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  the  radiat- 


VILI.AGE   ON   CRESCENT  LAKE. 


ing  centre  of  numerous  stage  lines,  and  the  avenue- 
to  the  greatest  mining  region  in  the  known  world. 
It  is  situated  at  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains. 

Fields  and  orchards  are  seen,  where  ever  we  turn 
our  eyes,  while  beautiful  cypresses  lift  their  graceful 
forms  aU  about  us.    We  have  reached  the  base  of 


442  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

the  great  Sierra  Nevadas.  We  look  upon  such 
scenery,  as  never  elsewhere  enraptured  human  vi- 
sion: Gigantic  mountains  clothed  with  cypress, 
-cedar  and  oak;  enameled  with  flowers  of  delicate 
form  and  hues  of  rare  beauty;  sylvan  streams, flow- 
ing down  the  mountain  side,  murmuring,  dancing 
and  sparkling  as  they  leap  from  rock  to  rock,  hurry- 
ing to  the  deep,  blue  sea. 

As  we  gazed   upon  these  grand,  old  mountains, 
Miller's  beautiful  poem  came  to  mind : — 

"  The  flight  of  time  is  underneath  their  untopped  towers. 

They  seem  to  push  aside  the  moon  at  night, 

To  jostle  and  unloose  the  stars.     The  flowers 

Of  heaven  fall  about  their  brows  in  shining  showers. 

They  stand,  a  line  of  lifted,  snowy  isles, 

High  held  above  a  tossed  and  tumbled  sea — 

A  sea  of  wood  in  wild,  unmeasured  miles ; 

I  look  far  down  the  hollow  days  ;  I  see 

The  bearded  prophets,  simple -souled  and  strong. 

That  fill  the  hills  and  thrill  with  song  the  herding  throng. 

They  look  as  cold  as  Kings  upon  a  throne  ; 

The  mantling  wings  of  night  are  crushed  and  curled 

As  feathers  curl.     The  elements  are  hurled 

From  off  their  bosoms,  and  are  bidden  go, 

Like  evil  spirits,  to  an  under-world. 

They  stretch  from  Cariboo  to  Mexico, 

A  line  of  battle-tents  in  everlasting  snow." 

These  mountain  peaks,  for  a  distance  of  twenty 
•or  thirty  miles,  are  lined  with  snow-sheds.  The  train 
slowly  winds  around  Blue  Canon.  Four  miles  further, 
we  are  at  Shady  Run,  from  which  point  we  have  a 
full  view  of  the  Great  American  Canon — one  of  the 
grandest  gorges  in  the  world.  Away  to  the  left,  may 
be  seen  the  American  River,  winding  its  way  hke  a 
silver  thread,  between  two  perpendicular  walls  two 
housand  feet  in  height ;  so  one  can  stand  on  the 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  443 

very  brink  of  the  crurabling  cliff,  and  look  down  upon 
the  foaming  waters  below.  But  the  magnificent  view 
is  soon  past. 

Five  miles  more,  and  while  we  are  gazing  with 
rapture  upon  an  ever  varying  scene,  suddenly  the 
great  canon  breaks  again  upon  our  view  with  in- 
creased and  awful  grandeur.  Soon  our  train  darts 
along  the  very  verge  of  a  fearful  chasm,  twenty-five 
hundred  feet  below  us,  with  an  almost  perpendicular 
wall.  Houses  look  like  diminutive  shanties,  men 
like  pigmies.  From  here  the  scenery  though  beauti- 
ful declines  in  interest.  The  train  has  arrived  in 
Cahfornia. 

Nevada  is  a  region  of  wonders.  For  diversity  of 
its  natural  features  and  scenery,  as  well  as  for  its 
vast  mineral  wealth,  the  country  is  alike  interesting 
to  the  traveler  and  the  scientist.  Within  its  limits 
are  the  grandest  mountain  peaks  and  canons,  lakes 
•of  surpassing  beauty,  cascades,  rivers  and  valleys, 
dells  and  grottoes  the  most  interesting,  and  the 
richest  silver  mining  regions  in  the  world.  Through- 
out the  State  are  numberless  hot  springs,  some  of 
which  possess  valuable  medicinal  properties.  The 
sulphurous  waters  in  the  vicinity  of  Virginia  City, 
known  as  ''  Steamboat  Springs,"  rise  to  the  height 
of  several  feet.  The  name  is  given  from  the  pecu- 
liar sound  of  the  spouting  waters.  In  Carson  val- 
ley, at  the  foot  of  the  Sierras,  less  than  a  score  of 
miles  distant  from  Virginia,  is  Carson,  the  Capital 
of  the  State.  It  is  so  called  in  honor  of  the  noted 
trapper,Kit  Carson,  whose  extraordinary  experiences 
are  well  known  to  the  reader.  This  valley  is  the 
most  extensive  and  fertile  of  any  region  in  the  State. 


444  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

It  is  in  delightful  contrast  with  the  barren  and 
sterile  regions  which  constitute  the  chief  portions^ 
of  the  Territory. 

We  visited  charming  lake  Tahoe,  which  reminded 
us  vividly  of  Yellowstone  Lake,  in  Wyoming's  field 
of  wonders.  It  is  nearly  as  high — being  a  mile 
above  the  sea  level — and  no  less  interesting  or  beau- 
tiful. Crossing  its  placid  surface  for  its  whole 
extent,  fuUy  twenty  miles,  in  the  little  steamer,  we 
were  struck  with  the  wonderful  transparency  of  its- 
waters.  Objects  can  be  distinctly  seen  a  hundred 
feet  below  the  glassy  surface.  It  is  of  variable 
depth;  at  some  places  the  lead  descends  for  twelve, 
and  even  fifteen  hundred  feet.  The  sunlight  falling 
upon  the  surface,  gives  different  tints  to  different 
depths,  the  shallow  water  appearing  of  greenish 
hue,  while  in  greater  depths  the  color  deepens  into 
blue.  The  black  sandy  shores  furnish  a  setting  in 
delightful  contrast  with  the  waters  of  the  lake, 
which,  with  the  dark-green  pine  and  fir  trees,  valleys 
of  rich  verdure,  lofty  mountains  with  giganfcic  rocks,, 
to  which  fancy  gives  a  variety  of  names,  and  unpre- 
tentious hills  adorned  with  evergreens,  are  all  won- 
der-features that  form  a  picture  of  rarest  beauty — 
unsurpassed  in  any  region  of  the  world.  It  is  the 
Lake  Como  of  America;  more  beautiful  than  that 
hquid  gem  of  Switzerland.  Nevada  and  California 
share  in  the  possession  of  this  peerless  lake.  The 
State  line  extends  across  it. 

There  are  many  valleys,  of  small  extent,  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  State,  that  offer  attractions  to  the 
ranchmen,  as  pasturage  for  their  herds.  The  bunch 
grass  and  the  seeds  of  the  white  sage — which  ex- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  446 

■tends  all  over  the  vast  Territory — furnish  the  best 
of  sustenance  for  the  cattle.  The  sage  pods,  con- 
taining the  seeds,  open  with  the  approach  of  winter. 
What  may  result  from  irrigation,  in  the  future, 
remains  to  be  seen,  but  Nevada  will  never  be  dis- 
tinguished for  its  agriculture ;  the  seasons  are  too 
short,  the  soil  generally  too  sterile  to  warrant  con- 
fident hope  of  grand  results  from  farming  industry. 
Mining  is  the  great  pursuit,  and  marvelous  are, 
and  long  have  been  its  results. 

The  great  popular  excitement,  in  1849,  over  the 
wonderful  discoveries  in  the  county  of  Washoe,  upon 
Frazer  River,  as  well  as  in  many  places  in  Califor- 
nia, are  matters  of  history,  well-known  to  the 
reader ;  but  as  great  as  was  the  occasion  for  such 
excitement,  the  later  discoveries  of  silver  have 
proved  greater.  The  famous  Comstock  mine  sent 
forth  its  many  millions,  and  was  the  marvel  of  the 
world  in  1866-7.  It  was  then  the  richest  lode  in 
the  world,  but  in  that  year  grander  discoveries  were 
made  in  the  region  of  the  White  Pine  Mountains, 
120  miles  from  Elko,  Nevada,  the  nearest  station 
on  the  great  Pacific  Railroad.  The  summit  of  the 
mountains  which  is  covered  with  a  heavy  growth 
of  white  pine  trees,  is  ten  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level.  Sixteen  miles  to  the  east  of  this  mountain, 
is  Treasure  Hill.  In  the  autumn  of  1867,  the  first 
mine — the  "Hidden  Treasure,"  was  discovered  and 
opened,  and  a  few  weeks  later,  the  "Eberhardt" 
was  located,  and  operations  begun,  reveahng  the 
richest  and  most  productive  silver  lode  in  the 
world. 

The  limits  of  this  volume  will  not  admit  of  a 


/ 


446  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

statement  in  detail  of  the  conditions  of  the  great 
mines  of  Nevada  or  of  Cahfornia,  nor  is  the  state- 
ment necessary,  for  the  facts  are  known  to  the 
world.  True  fissure  silver  mines  can  probably  never 
be  exhausted — surely  not  for  centuries,  and  Nevada 
will  ever  continue  its  supremacy  as  the  great  "Silver 
State." 

What  grand  results,  what  advantages  to  Ameri- 
cans, especially,  and  to  the  world  generally,  have 
ensued  as  the  consequence  of  the  discoveries  of  the 
precious  metals  in  this  country !  To  appreciate  the 
vastness  of  these  results,  the  great  benefit  to  man- 
kind, we  have  only  to  compare  the  condition  and 
resources  of  our  country  now,  with  those  of  a  little 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  The  com- 
parison, even  without  the  aid  of  tabular  statistics, 
will  enable  us  to  recognize  and  appreciate  the 
wondrous  changes  that  have  thus  been  wrought, 
and  lead  to  a  consideration  of  the  possible  and  prob- 
able good  yet  to  ensue,  from  the  same  mighty 
influence.  The  prosperous  and  productive  States 
which  have  sprung  into  being,  and  now  form  so 
important  parts  of  the  great  Union,  the  facihties  of 
communication  and  transportation,  the  vast  addition 
to  our  trade  and  commerce,  are  grand  results  which, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  might  have  required 
centuries  for  their  accomplishment  and  develop- 
ment, without  the  immediate  and  special  causes, 
which  hastened  their  occurence. 

Whether  we  view  the  agencies,  which  have 
achieved  such  marvelous  ends,  as  the  special  provi- 
dence of  Heaven,  designed  to  ennoble,  magnify  and 
perpetuate  this  nation,  with  its  glorious  institutions^ 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  447 

or,  the  happy  accidents  of  fortune,  all  will  concede 
that  the  discoveries  have  proved  of  immense  and 
far-reaching  importance  to  the  nation  and  the  whole 
world ;  and  that  the  treasures  which  have  thus  far 
been  but  lightly  drawn  upon,  considering  their  in- 
calculable or  boundless  extent,  will,  in  the  near 
future,  work  other  results  as  grand  in  their  con- 
ception, as  wonderful  in  their  execution,  must  be 
apparent  to  all  thinking  minds.  The  increase  of 
our  commerce  in  the  Pacific,  the  facilities  of  com- 
munication with  China,  with  Japan,  and  other  parts 
of  the  world,  as  well  as  a  greater  unity  of  this  coun- 
try, in  all  its  interests  and  benefits,  are  due,  in  a 
very  great  degree,  to  the  discoveries  of  the  rich 
mining  regions  of  our  western  domains.  In  the 
results,  which  we  now  contemplate  with  pride  and 
eminent  satisfaction,  we  behold  an  earnest  of  other 
good,  that  must  in  the  natural  course  of  events, 
certainly  and  speedily  follow.  It  requires  no  pro- 
phetic vision,  no  stretch  of  fancy,  to  foresee  for  the 
West,  and  hence  for  the  whole  nation,  that  other 
States  with  their  grand  resources  wiU,  ere  the  lapse 
of  many  years,  glitter  in  the  constellation  of  the 
Union,  that  new  and  important  avenues  of  trade 
will  be  opened,  other  extensive  hues  of  communi- 
cation estabUshed  connecting  opulent  cities — the 
boundaries  of  which  have  as  yet  neither  been 
mapped,  nor  entered  the  busy  brains  that  are  evolv- 
ing the  grand  problem  of  America's  noblest  ambi- 
tion ;  new  net-works  of  telegraph  wiU  flash  new  and 
starthng  announcements  of  still  other  and  prohfic 
sources  of  prosperity ;  regions  as  lovely  as  the  Vale 
of  Cashmere,  are  inviting  the  coming  of  the  white 


448  LIFE    IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

man ;  regions  as  lavish  in  wealth  as  those  that  have 
freely  yielded  their  glittering  treasures,  invite  his 
coming,  and  perhaps  before  another  decade,  this 
vision  will  become  a  reality,  and  the  sound  of  the 
cannon  in  the  East,  rejoicing  in  the  nation's  anni- 
versary will  echo  among  the  hills  of  now  unpeopled 
regions  of  the  West,  and  the  national  flag  will  wave 
over  prosperous  settlements  and  rising  cities  that 
are  to  be. 

The  mind  can  scarcely  exaggerate  the  possibili- 
ities  of  the  near  future  of  this  country,  in  reflecting 
upon  the  achievements  which  have  been  effected 
since  the  news  of  the  gold  discoveries  in  California 
first  reached  the  ears  of  even  Americans,  who  were 
poring  over  our  maps,  to  find,  if  possible,  the 
boundaries  of  the  ''  Great  American  Desert,"  and 
the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri,  and  wondering  of 
what  practical  use  and  value  to  civilized  man  would 
be  the  wild  lands  of  the  Indian-peopled  West ;  when 
Missouri  and  Illinois  were  the  boundaries  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  beyond  their  frontiers  were  only  hunting- 
grounds  of  savages.  Scarcely  had  the  world  ceased 
to  wonder  for  the  growth  of  Cahfornia,  when  stiU 
more  wonderful  discoveries  began  in  the  great  chain 
of  mountains,  and  have  continued  to  the  present 
hour. 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  449 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

€alifomia— Varieties  of  Climate— Beautiful  Scenery— The  wonders  of 
the  Yosemite. 

It  appears  from  the  reports  of  the  land  office  that 
Cahfornia  is  eight  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  one 
hundred  and  ninety  miles  in  breadth,  and  contains 
an  area  of  189,000  square  miles ;  but  another  reliable 
authority  places  the  area  at  155,000  or  99,200,000 
acres,  of  which  forty  millions  may  be  regarded  as 
agricultural  land;  the  coast  line  extends  eleven 
hundred  miles.  The  State  lies  between  the  32d  and 
42d  degrees  of  latitude,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  it 
is  west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  No  known  region 
of  the  globe  of  equal  extent  comprises  such  numer- 
ous and  marked  divisions,  volcanic  peaks,  rugged 
mountains,  beautiful  valleys,  sterile  regions,  commo- 
dious bays,  grand  rivers  and  waterfalls,  picturesque 
lakes,  extensive  marshes,  broad  prairies  and  stately 
forests,  as  are  embraced  within  the  boundaries  of 
Cahfornia. 

Several  authors  have  attempted  to  define  the  to- 
pography of  the  State,  and  among  them  J.  S.  Hit- 
tell,  to  whose  comprehensive  work  upon  the  "  Ee- 
sources  of  Cahfornia  "  the  reader  desiring  to  pursue 
the  subject  is  especially  referred.  The  State  is  dis- 
tinguished for  its  vast  mineral  wealth,  its  superior 
<5ommercial  facilities,  and  its  picturesque  scenery. 
The  many  millions  of  dollars  taken  from  the  gold 
mines  have  affected  the  markets  of  labor  and  money 

29 


450 

throughout  the  civiHzed  world.     Her  mining  and 
commercial  history  is  well  known  to  the  reader. 

My  first  visit  to  California  was  in  1849,  when  our 
facilities  of  travel  were  limited  to  individual  locomo- 
tion, and  a  mule  that  would  travel  only  when  the 
inclination  or  incentive  was  strong  to  do  so ;  the 
days  when  first-class  hotels  were  constructed  of 
cotton  fabrics,  and  when  all  the  world  rushed  hither 
to  collect  a  few  scattered  miUions,  and  return  again 
to  civilization  to  enjoy  a  life  of  luxury  and  ease. 
How  patiently  we  climbed  the  rugged  rocks  of  the 
Isthmus,  and  how  bitterly  we  complained  of  the 
tardy  and  slow  moving  steamers,  how  we  toiled, 
and  how^the  millions  w^e  were  to  have  gathered  in  a 
trice,  eluded  our  grasp ! 

How  very  different  now  the  conditions  of  country 
and  people !  Now  content  to  let  the  miUions  go — 
our  object  is  to  see  the  glorious  State,  and  to  make^ 
a  few  pen  pictures  of  what  then  we  had  no  time  to 
see — eyes  and  hands  having  all  and  more  than  they 
could  do  to  gather  up  the  millions. 

The  chmate  of  Cahfornia  is  conducive  to  health. 
In  the  valleys,  it  has  the  general  character  of  that 
of  Spain.  Its  winters  are  warmer,  and  its  summers 
cooler,  than  in  the  Eastern  States.  There  are  dif- 
ferent climates  in  the  different  parts  of  the  State — 
one  for  the  western  slope  of  the  Coast  Eange ;  one 
for  the  low  lands  of  the  Sacramento  Basin ;  another 
for  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Klamath  Basin;  another 
for  the  Great  Basin  of  Utah;  another  for  the  coast, 
south  of  Point  Conception,  and  still  another  for  the 
Colorado  Desert.  The  sea  breeze  is  a  prominent 
feature  in  the  general  chmate  of  California     In  the 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  451 

summer,  its  force  is  stronger  than  in  the  winter. 
It  prevails  in  the  day-time,  and  the  land  breeze 
comes  in  the  summer  nights.  The  cHmate  of  the 
State  resembles  that  of  Italy,  in  its  general  charac- 
ter, but  has  not  its  objectionable  effect  of  depressing 
the  mental  or  physical  powers.  In  San  Francisco, 
the  average  number  of  hot  days  in  a  year  is  only 
seven,  and  often  in  a  series  of  years  not  a  single  hot 
day  occurs.  In  twenty  years,  the  number  of  cold 
nights,  those  in  which  the  thermometer  fell  to 
thirty-two  degrees,  Fah.,  was  but  seventy-four. 
On  an  average  there  are  220  perfectly  clear  days  in 
a  year — days  without  a  cloud,  in  the  Sacramento 
Basin.  New  York  has  scarcely  half  as  many  clear 
days  in  any  single  year.  The  ''rainy  season"  oc- 
curs between  the  first  of  November  and  first  of  June, 
It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  rain  falls  continu- 
ally during  the  season ;  it  does  not  fall  at  any  other 
time,  except  in  occasional  light  showers.  In  a  year 
there  is  not  more  than  half  the  rain-fall  in  inches  in 
San  Francisco  that  there  is  in  Portland,  Maine,  or 
St.  Louis ;  it  is  about  haK  as  great  as  in  the  States 
east  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  the  Sacramento  valley  there  have  been  four 
floods  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  and  on  an 
average  two  periods  of  drought  to  one  flood.  Dew 
seldom  falls,  and  thunder  storms  in  Cahfornia  are 
very  rare ;  they  are  sometimes  witnessed  high  up 
in  the  mountains  and  in  the  Great  Basin,  but  rarely 
in  any  of  the  low  land  of  the  State.  The  chmate 
of  the  coast  is  more  equable  and  more  conducive  to 
health  than  that  of  Italy,  Greece  or  Spain.  Fruits, 
trees,    cereals,    etc.,   are    unsurpassed,    if    indeed 


452  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

equalled,  in  rapidity  of  healthful  growth,  elsewhere 
in  the  world. 

Yery  much  of  the  scenery  of  California  is  exquis- 
itely beautiful.  The  peculiar  clearness  of  the  atmos- 
phere gives  a  great  range  to  vision.  It  has  been 
well  said  that  "the  mountainous  character  of  the 
State,  not  only  prevents  monotony  and  secures  a 
rich  variety  of  landscapes,  but  gives  them  extent 
and  grandeur.  The  large  rivers,  the  high  snow- 
peaks  and  ridges,  wide  bays,  forests  of  the  largest 
and  most  graceful  evergreens,  parks  of  majestic 
oaks,  natural  meadows  covered  in  the  Spring  with 
brilliant  grasses  and  flowers,  are  all  magnificent." 
The  low  lands  are  mostly  bare  of  timber,  with  here 
and  there  a  grove  of  oaks  and  lines  of  trees  and 
bushes  along  the  water  courses.  The  coast  valleys 
are  very  beautiful. 

The  distinguishing  features  of  the  country,  to 
which  all  travelers  turn  most  eagerly  for  sight- 
seeing, are  the  Yosemite,  the  Big  Tree  Groves,  the 
Geysers,  the  Petrified  Forest,  Mt.  Diablo,  Mt.  St. 
Helena,  Mt.  Talmapais,  Mt.  Shasta,  the  California 
Alps,  Clear  Lake  and  Lake  Tahoe — the  latter  we 
have  already  briefly  described. 

The  Yosemite  Valley  and  Falls  are  of  astonishing 
grandeur  and  sublimity.  The  whole  region  is  of  the 
wildest  and  most  picturesque  character.  The  fol- 
lowing excellent  description  of  its  wonders  is  given 
by  Eichardson,  in  his  work,  ^'Beyond  the  Missis- 
sippi." 

"After  four  days'  hard  travel  from  San  Francisco, 
we  galloped  out  of  the  pine  woods,  dismounted, 
stood  upon  the  rocky  precipice  of  Inspiration  Point, 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  453 

and  looked  down  into  Yosemite  as  one  from  a  house- 
top looks  down  into  his  garden,  or  as  he  would  view 
the  interior  of  some  stupendous,  roofless  cathedral, 
from  the  top  of  one  of  its  towering  walls.  In  the 
distance,  across  the  gorge,  were  snow-streaked 
mountains.  Eight  under  us  was  the  narrow,  wind- 
ing basin  of  meadow,  grove  and  shining  river,  shut 
in  by  granite  walls,  from  two  thousand  to  five  thous- 
and feet  high, — walls  with  immense  turrets  of  bare 
rock, — walls  so  upright  and  perfect,  that  an  expert 
crag-man  can  climb  out  of  the  valley  at  only  three 
or  four  points. 

Flinging  a  pebble  from  the  rock  upon  which  we 
stood,  and  looking  over  the  brink,  I  saw  it  fall  more 
than  half-a  mile  before  striking.  Glancing  across 
the  narrow,  profound  chasm,  I  surveyed  an  un- 
broken, seamless  wall  of  granite,  two-thirds  of  a 
mile  high,  and  viore  than  perpendicular — the  top 
projecting  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  over  the  base. 
Turning  toward  the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  I  be- 
held a  half-dome  of  rock,  one  mile  high,  and  on  its 
summit  a  solitary,  gigantic  cedar,  appearing  like 
the  merest  twig.  Originally  a  vast  granite  moun- 
tain, it  was  riven  from  top  to  bottom  by  some  ancient 
convulsion,  which  cleft  assunder  the  everlasting 
hills,  and  rent  the  great  globe  itself. 

The  measureless,  inclosing  walls,  with  these  lead- 
ing towers  and  many  other  turrets — gray,  brown  and 
white  rock,  darkly  veined  from  summit  to  base  with 
streaks  and  ribbons  of  falling  water, — hills,  almost 
upright,  yet  studded  with  tenacious  firs  and  cedars ; 
and  the  deep-down  level  floor  of  grass,  with  its 
thread  of  river  and  pigmy  trees,  all  burst  upon  me 


454  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

at  once.  Nature  had  lifted  her  curtain  to  reveal 
the  vast  and  the  infinite.  It  elicited  no  adjectives, 
no  exclamations.  With  bewildering  sense  of  divine 
power  and  human  littleness,  I  could  only  gaze  in 
silence,  till  the  view  strained  my  brain  and  pained 
my  eyes,  compelhng  me  to  turn  away  and  rest  from 
its  oppressive  magnitude. 

Eiding  for  two  hours,  down,  down,  among  sharp 
rocks  and  dizzy  zigzags,  where  the  five  ladies  of 
our  party  found  it  difficult  to  keep  in  their  saddles, 
and  narrowly  escaped  pitching  over  their  horses' 
heads,  we  were  in  the  valley,  entering  by  the  Mari- 
posa trail.  The  length  of  the  valley  or  cleft  is  nine 
miles ;  its  average  width  three-fourths  of  a  mile. 

Up  the  valley  for  five  miles,  past  Bridal  Veil  Fall, 
runs  the  Merced,  fresh  from  the  Sierras.  Delight- 
ful and  exhilarating,  though  a  little  chilly,  for  the 
swimmer,  it  is  so  perfectly  transparent  as  to  cheat 
the  eye,  and  beguile  beyond  his  depth,  any  one  at- 
tempting to  wade  it.  Crossing  it  by  a  rustic  log 
bridge,  we  are  in  a  smooth,  level  meadow  of  tall 
grass,  variegated  with  myriads  of  wild-fiowers, 
including  prim  roses  of  yellow  and  crimson,  and  a 
lily-shaped  blossom  of  exquisite  purple,  known  as 
the  Ithuriel  Spear. 

The  meadow  is  fringed  with  groves  of  pines  and 
spreading  oak,  and  on  one  side  bounded  by  the 
everlasting  walls.  The  pines,  like  those  of  Wash- 
ington Territory,  are  simply  height,  slenderness, 
symmetry.  The  delicate  tracery  of  the  branch  is 
beautiful  beyond  description ;  but  the  trunk  is  com- 
paratively small.  I  procured  a  photograph  of  two, 
wonderfully  regular  and  graceful,  and  more  than 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  455 

two  hundred  feet  high,  which  dwarfed  to  a  child's 
block-house,  a  large  frame- dwelling  at  their  feet. 
In  the  evening,  illuminated  and  softened  by  the 
full  moon,  the  beauty  of  the  valley  was  marvelous. 
The  bright  lights  of  the  distant  house  shone  through 
the  deep  pines,  and  the  river's  low  gurgling,  faintly 
disturbed  the  air.  At  times  immense  boulders, 
breaking  from  the  summits,  rolled  down  thunder- 
ing, and  filling  the  valley  with  their  loud  reverber- 
ations. 

The  rock  mountains  are  the  great  feature ;  in- 
deed, they  are  Yosemite.  The  nine  granite  w^alls 
which  range  in  altitude  from  three  to'fsix  thousand 
feet,  are  the  most  striking  examples  on  the  globe 
of  the  masonry  of  Nature.  Their  dimensions  are 
so  vast  that  they  utterly  outrun  our  ordinary  stan- 
dards of  comparison.  One  might  as  well  be  told  of 
a  wall,  upright,  like  the  side  of  a  house  for  ten 
thousand  miles,  as  for  two-thirds  of  one  mile. 

Cathedral  rocks  have  two  turrets,  and^ook  like 
some  Titanic  religious  pile.  Sentinel  towers  alone, 
grand  and  hoary.  The  South  Dome,  a  mile  high, 
is  really  a  semi-dome.  Cleft  from  top  to  bottom, 
one-half  of  it  went  on  the  other  side  of  the  chasm 
and  disappeared,  when  the  great  mountains  were 
rent  in  twain.  The  gigantic  North  Dome  is  as 
round  and  perfect  as  the  cupola  of  the  National 
Capitol.  '  Three  Brothers '  is  a  triple-pointed  mass 
of  solid  granite.  All  these  rocks,  and  scores  of 
lesser  ones,  which  would  be  noticeable  any  where 
else  in  the  world,  exhibit,  vegetation.  Hardy  ce- 
dars, thrusting  roots  into  imperceptible  crevices  of 
theirjupright  sides — apparently  growing  out  of  un- 


456  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

broken  stone — have  braved  a  thousand  years,  the 
battle  and  the  breeze. 

El  Capitain  is  grandest  of  all.  No  tuft  of  beard 
shades  or  fringes  its  closely  shaven  face.  No  tenac- 
ious vine,  even,  can  fasten  its  tendrils,  to  climb  that 
smooth,  seamless,  stupendous  wall.  There  it  will 
stand,  grandeur,  massiveness,  indestructibility,  till 
the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and 
the  elements  melt  with  fervent  heat.  Its  Indian 
name  is  Tu-toch-ah-nu-lah.  Both  this  and  the 
Spanish  word  signify  '^the  leader;"  but  were  ap- 
phed  in  the  sense  of  the  Supreme  Being.  It  ought 
to  be  called  Mount  Abraham  Lincoln. 

One  noble  mountain  most  appropriately  com- 
memorates Thomas  Starr  King. 

Hutchings'  affords  a  perfect  view  of  Yosemite 
Falls,  a  mile  distant.  In  April  and  May,  when  melt- 
ing snows  swell  the  stream  to  a  deep  torrent,  they 
are  grand ;  but  then  the  valley  is  half  flooded.  In 
late  summer  their  creek  shrinks  to  a  skeleton ;  and 
they  look  small  because  their  surroundings  are  so- 
vast.  Niagara  itself  w^ould  dwarf  beside  the  rocks 
in  this  vaUey. 

Yet  Yosemite  is  the  loftiest  water-fall  in  the  world. 
Think  of  a  cataract,  or  cascade,  of  half-a  mile  with 
only  a  single  break !  It  is  sixteen  times  higher  than 
Niagara.  Twelve  Bunker  Hill  monuments  stand- 
ing upright,  one  upon  another,  would  barely  reach 
its  summit.  Ossa  upon  Pelion  becomes  a  tame  and 
meaningless  comparison. 

We  did  not  chmb  to  the  rapids  and  foot  of  the 
Upper  Fall ;  that  is  difficult,  hazardous  and  exhaust- 
ing.    Nor  did  we  go  to  the  extreme  summit ;  that 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         457 

requires  a  circuitous  ride  of  twenty-five  miles  out  of 
the  valley.  But  we  spent  much  time  at  the  base  of 
the  Lower  Fall,  shut  in  by  towering  walls  of  dark 
granite.  The  basin  abounds  in  rocks — some  as  large 
as  a  dwelling  house — which  have  fallen  from  the 
top.  Spreading  my  blankets  upon  one  of  these, 
almost  under  the  fall,  I  found  it  a  smooth  bed, 
though  a  little  damp  from  spray;  and  spent  the 
night  there  to  see  the  cataract  in  the  varying  illu- 
minations and  shadows  of  sunhght,  twihght,  star- 
light, and  moonhght. 

Much  of  the  water  turns  to  mist  before  reaching^ 
the  bottom ;  yet  looking  up  from  under  it,  the  vol- 
ume seems  great.  Six  hundred  feet  above,  a  body 
of  ragged,  snowy  foam  with  dishevelled  tresses, 
rushes  over  the  brink,  and  comes  swinging  down  in 
slender  column,  swayed  to  and  fro  by  the  wind  like 
a  long  strand  of  lace.  For  four  hundred  feet  the 
descent  is  unruffled;  then,  striking  a  broad,  in- 
cHning  rock,  like  a  roof  of  a  house,  the  water  spreads 
over  it — a  thin,  shining,  transparent  apron,  fringed 
with  delicate  gauze — and  glides  swiftly  to  the  bot- 
tom. By  moonlight  the  whole  looks  like  a  long 
white  ribbon,  hanging  against  the  brown  wall,  with 
its  lower  end  widening  and  unraveled. 

Bridal  Veil  Fall,  unbroken,  much  narrower^  and 
softened  by  a  delicate  mist  which  half  hides  it,  is  a 
strip  of  white  fluttering  foam,  which  the  wind 
swings  like  a  silken  pendulum.  It  is  spanned  by  a 
rainbow;  and  at  some  points  the  thin,  glass-like 
sheet  reveals  every  hue  of  the  wall  behind  it.  Be- 
fore reaching  the  end  of  its  long  descent,  a  rill  no 
longer,  it  is  completely  transformed  to  spray — the 
Niobe  of  cascades  dissolved  in  tears. 


458  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

Above  Hutchings'  the  valley  breaks  into  three 
canons,  and  the  Merced  into  three  Forks.  North 
Fork  passes  through  Mirror  Lake — the  very  soul  of 
transparency.  It  reflects  grass,  trees,  rocks,  moun- 
tains and  sky  with  such  perfect  and  startling  vivid- 
ness that  one  cannot  believe  them  images  and 
shadows.  He  fancies  the  world  turned  upside  down, 
and  shrinks  back  from  the  lake,  lest  he  should  tum- 
ble over  the  edge  into  the  inverted  dome  of  blue 
•sky. 

On  the  Middle  or  main  Fork  is  Yernal  Fall,  diffi- 
cult of  access.  Leaving  our  horses  three  miles 
from  the  hotel,  we  climbed  for  two  weary  hours 
:along  dizzy  shelves  and  up  sharp  rocks,  where  the 
trail  rises  one  thousand  feet  to  the  mile; — ^pine 
woods  all  around  us ;  at  our  left  and  far  below,  the 
river  chafing  and  roaring  in  its  stony  bed.  Then 
we  stood  at  the  foot  of  Yernal  Fall.  Bridal  Veil 
and  Yosemite  are  on  little  lateral  creeks ;  Yernal  is 
the  full,  swelling  torrent  of  the  Merced.  Those 
<3reep  softly  and  slowly  down,  as  if  in  pain  and  hesi- 
tation. This  rushes  eagerly  over  gloomy  brown 
rocks;  then  leaps  headlong  for  more  than  three 
hundred  feet,  roaring  like  a  miniature  Niagara. 

Kainbows  of  dazzling  brightness  shine  at  its  base. 
Others  of  the  party  reported  many ;  my  own  eyes, 
•defective  as  to  colors,  beheld  only  two.  But  after- 
ward, when  alone,  I  saw  what,  to  Hebrew  prophet, 
had  been  a  vision  of  heaven,  or  fche  visible  presence 
of  the  Almighty.  It  was  the  round  rainbow — the 
•complete  circle.  In  the  afternoon  sun  I  stood  upon 
s,  rock  a  hundred  feet  from  the  base  of  the  fall,  and 
nearly  on  a  level  with  it.     There  were  two  brilliant 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  459 

rainbows  of  usual  form — the  crescent,  the  bow 
proper.  But  while  I  looked,  the  two  horns  of  the 
inner  or  lower  crescent  suddenly  lengthened,  ex- 
tending on  each  side  to  my  feet — an  entire  circle, 
perfect  as  a  finger-ring.  In  two  or  three  seconds  it 
passed  away,  shrinking  to  the  first  dimensions. 
Ten  minutes  later  it  formed  again;  and  again  as 
suddenly  disappeared.  Every  sharp  gust  of  wind 
showering  the  spray  over  me,  revealed  for  a  mo- 
ment, the  round  rainbow.  Completely  drenched,  I 
stood  for  an  hour- and- a-half ;  and  saw,  fully  twenty 
times,  that  dazzling  circle  of  violet  and  gold,  on  a 
ground-work  of  wet  dark  rock,  gay  dripping  flowers 
and  vivid  grass.  I  never  looked  upon  any  other 
scene  in  nature  so  beautiful  and  impressive. 

CHmbing  a  high  rock  wall,  by  crazy  wooden  lad- 
ders, we  continued  up  the  canon  for  three-quarters- 
of-a-mile  to  Nevada  Fall,  where  the  Merced  tumbles 
seven  hundred  feet,  in  white  and  swaying  mistiness ! 
Near  the  bottom  it  strikes  an  inclined  rock,  and 
spreads  upon  it  in  a  sheet  of  floating  silver  tissue  a 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  wide. 

Passing  over  a  wide,  gaping  creek,  or  chasm  in 
this  rocky  grade,  the  thin  sheet  of  water  breaks  into 
delicate,  snowy  net-work;  then  into  myriads  of 
shining  beads,  and  finally  into  long  sparkling 
threads — an  exquisite  silken  fringe  to  the  great 
white  curtain. 

These  names  are  peculiarly  fitting.  Bridal  Veil 
indeed,  looks  hke  a  veil  of  lace.  In  summer,  when 
Bridal  Veil  and  Yosemite  dwarf.  Vernal  still  pours 
its  ample  torrent.  And  Nevada  is  always  white  as 
a  snow-drift. 


460  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

The  Yosemite  is  height;  the  Vernal  is  volume;, 
the  Bridal  Veil  is  softness ;  but  the  Nevada  is  height, 
volume  and  softness  combined.  South  Park  Cata- 
ract, most  inaccessible  of  all,  we  did  not  visit.  In 
spring,  each  fall  has  twenty  times  as  much  water  as 
in  summer. 

On  the  whole,  Yosemite  is  incomparably  the  most 
wonderful  feature  of  our  continent.  European 
travelers  agree  that  transatlantic  scenery  has  noth- 
ing at  all  approaching  it.  Unless  the  Himalayas 
hide  some  rival,  there  is  no  spot,  the  wide  world 
over,  of  such  varied  beauty  and  measureless  gran- 
deur. 

Climbing  out  of  the  valley,  we  cast  one  longing, 
lingering  look  behind,  from  Inspiration  Point. 
Here  is  the  best  comprehensive  view,  not  of  separ- 
ate features,  but  of  the  whole.  This  vast  open 
Cathedral,  which  would  hold  fifty  millions  of  wor- 
shippers, is  true  to  the  ancient  imperious  maxim  of 
architecture:  its  mean  width,  about  equals  the 
average  height  of  its  walls.  Our  eyes,  now  adjusted 
to  its  distances  and  dimensions,  were  no  longer 
pained  by  the  amazing  spectacle.  At  last  we 
turned  away  from  this  sublimest  page  in  all  the 
book  of  nature.  I  think  few  can  come  from  its 
study  without  hearts  more  humble  and  reverent, 
lives  more  worthy  and  loyal. 

Yosemite  Valley  is  four  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level.  After  climbing  out  and  re-passing  Inrpira- 
tion  Point,  we  still  ascend;  and  then  ride  for  sev- 
eral miles,  at  an  altitude  of  about  eight  thousand 
feet.  Here,  where  snow  is  sometimes  twenty  feet 
deep,  are  meadows  of  richest  grass  and  brightest 
flowers. 


.^' 


AND    WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST. 


461 


The  pyramidal,  slender  pine  abounds,  frequently 
two  hundred  feet  high,  its  trunk  and  branches  gor- 
geous with  yellow  moss.  So  does  the  exquisite, 
blue-tipped,  silvery-fir.  This  profuse  vegetation, 
with  lark-spur,  daisy,  lily,  honey  suckle  and  godola, 
is  at  a  height  which,  in  New  England  would  frost- 
Jdll  tree,  flower,  grass  and  twig. 


462  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 


CHAPTEE  XXXI. 

Big  Tree  Groves— Geysers— Petrified  Forests — Sublime  Mountain' 
Scenery — Lakes  of  Rarest  Beauty — Natural  Bridges — Cascades — 
Canons— Gorgeous  Flowers — Indians — Former  Races  of  Men — 
Wild  Animals,  etc. 

Various  theories  are  entertained  concerning  the 
formation  of  the  Yosemite  Valley;  the  one  gen- 
erally accepted  being  that  offered  by  Prof.  Whitney, 
viz :  that  the  surface  of  the  region  "sank,  owing  to 
its  support  being  withdrawn  from  underneath,  dur- 
ring  some  of  those  convulsive  movements,  which 
must  have  attended  the  upheaval  of  so  extensive 
and  elevated  a  chain." 

There  is  a  similar  but  smaller  valley  on  the  Tuo- 
lumne Eiver,  tw^elve  miles  further  north.  It  is 
three  miles  long,  half-a-mile  wide,  and  is  bounded 
by  granite  cliffs,  which  rise  from  1,500  to  2,500  feet 
in  height.  Above  this  wonderful  valley,  the  canon 
extends  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  into  the  moun- 
tains, with  vertical  walls  and  remarkable  scenery, 
including  several  high  cascades.  On  the  south  of 
Mt.  Whitney,  King's  Eiver  forms  a  grand  canon, 
more  than  a  mile  in  depth  and  ten  miles  in  length, 
with  a  level  bottom,  in  one  place  half-a-mile  in  width. 

In  Calaveras,  Tuolumne,  Mariposa  and  two  other 
counties,  there  are  groves  of  gigantic  trees,  called 
Sequoias.  The  one  in  Calaveras  County  contains 
one  hundred  and  fifty  trees,  ninety  of  which  are 
more  than  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  ten  rather 
more  than  thirty  feet. 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  46d 

One  of  the  trees,  which  has  fallen,  must  have  been 
four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  and  forty  feet  in 
diameter.  Through  the  hollow  trunk,  a  man  can 
ride  on  horseback,  seventy-five  feet.  In  1854,  one 
of  the  largest  of  these  forest  giants — ninety-two- 
feet  in  circumference — was  cut  down.  Since  then 
the  surface  of  the  stump  has  been  used  occasionally 
by  dancing  parties,  for  theatrical  performances,  etc. 
An  examination  of  its  rings  showed  that  it  was 
about  two  thousand  years  old.  The  largest  trees 
seem  to  have  been  broken  at  the  top  by  snow,  which 
often  falls  upon  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  a  great  depth 
— sometimes  of  nearly  twenty  feet.  The  State 
Grove,  in  Mariposa  County,  fifteen  miles  south  of 
the  Yosemite,  the  largest  and  finest  grove  of  all, 
has  been  given  by  the  National  Government  to 
California  for  a  public  pleasure  resort.  It  has  427 
trees,  of  which  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  are 
over  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  eighteen  over  twenty- 
five  and  three  over  thirty-three  feet. 

The  cones  of  the  mammoth  pine-trees  are  cyhn- 
drical,  and  sometimes  nearly  two  feet  in  length. 
Those  of  the  Big  trees  are  round  and  not  larger 
than  apples.  Seedlings  from  them  are  growing  in 
every  country  of  Europe.  They  are  numerous  in 
English  parks.  Two  hundred  have  been  planted  in 
Central  Park,  New  York.  Through  this  State,  as 
well  as  in  Oregon,  gigantic  redwood  trees  are  very 
numerous,  and  on  the  summit  of  the  Sierras,  almost 
a  mile  above  sea  level,  grow  sugar  pines,  ten  and 
twelve  feet  in  diameter. 

The  big  tree — Sequoia — though  not  taller  than 
some  of  the  trees  of  Australia,  is  the  largest  vegeta- 


464  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

ble  production  on  the  globe.  It  is  supposed  to  liave 
generally  attained  a  height  of  350  feet,  and  to  be  at 
least  thirty-five  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  indigenous 
only  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  be- 
tween the  36th  and  38th  degree  of  latitude,  at  ele- 
vations from  3,000  to  5,000  feet  above  the  sea. 

In  California,  trees  flourish  at  an  elevation  of 
11,000  feet;  two  species  thrive  1,000  feet  above  the 
snow-line,  and  five  species  that  reach  a  diameter  of 
three  feet  grow  in  places  where  the  temperature  is 
below  the  freezing  point  almost  the  entire  year. 
The  snow-plant  is  frequently  found  below  the  snow 
Hne,  but  looks  prettiest  when  its  brilliant  red  tints 
appear  amidst  the  snowy  mantle. 

Mt.  Diablo,  thirty  miles  east  of  San  Francisco,  is 
an  isolated  cone,  3,856  feet  in  height,  in  the  midst 
of  a  fertile  and  populous  country.  It  overlooks  San 
Francisco,  Santa  Clara,  Sacramento,  and  many 
other  notable  localities,  and  commands  a  view  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada  for  a  distance  of  250  miles,  and 
of  an  area  of  forty  thousand  square  miles,  equal  to 
the  entire  State  of  New  York.  There  is  probably 
no  point  on  the  earth's  surface  from  which  so  vast 
an  extent  of  country  can  be  seen,  as  from  this 
mountain.  Mt.  Shasta,  at  the  north,  and  Mt.  San 
Bernardino,  at  the  south,  occupy  positions  of  simi- 
lar prominence.  Shasta,  7,000  feet  in  height,  is 
mantled  with  snow,  most  of  the  year,  for  a  vertical 
mile  from  the  summit,  and  is  a  sublime  feature  of 
the  landscape.  It  is  visible  in  any  direction  for  a 
hundred  miles.  In  the  Sierra  Nevada,  between  the 
35th  and  38th  degrees  of  latitude,  there  are  one 
hundred  peaks  that  rise  above  10,000  feet,  and  one 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  465 

i)hat  reaches  fourteen  thousand  nine  hundred  feet. 

The  geysers  are  among  the  wonders  of  Cahfornia. 
Down  the  western  slope  of  the  mountains  which 
separate  Clear  Lake  from  the  basin  of  Eussian 
River,  is  Pluton  River,  near  which,  at  an  elevation 
of  seventeen  hundred  feet  above  sea  level,  are  the 
geysers — numerous  hot  and  cold,  quiet  and  boihng 
springs  are  seen  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other — 
the  waters  differing  widely  in  color,  odor  and  taste. 
There  is  an  orifice  of  about  eight  inches  in  the  side 
of  the  hill,  from  which  rises  a  large  volume  of  steam 
to  a  height  of  from  fifty  to  over  two  hundred  feet. 
The  noise  of  the  escaping  steam  is  almost  deafen- 
ing. The  "  Devil's  Punch  Bowl  "  is  a  large  hole 
six  feet  across,  in  the  side  of  the  hill.  The  dark 
liquid  in  this  bowl  is  always  boiling  with  heat,  and 
the  vapor  deposits  black  flowers  of  sulphur  in  the 
vicinity. 

In  the  ridge  separating  Napa  from  Santa  Rosa, 
and  five  miles  west  of  Calistoga,  are  from  twenty  to 
thirty  petrified  trees,  prostrate  upon  the  ground. 
To  this  group  has  been  given  the  name  "Petrified 
Forest."  Besides  these  remarkable  petrifactions, 
others  are  also  found  at  intervals  on  the  ridge, 
nearly  down  to  the  bay.  The  largest  is  five  feet  in 
diameter  and  about  fifteen  feet  in  length.  No 
branches  have  been  found,  nor  more  than  twenty 
feet  of  the  trunk  of  a  single  tree.  The  petrifaction 
is  complete;  the  woody  fibre  has  entirely  disap- 
peared, and  has  been  replaced  by  grayish  stone — 
seemingly,  carbonate  of  lime,  in  which  the  grain  of 
the  timber  is  distinctly  preserved.  All  the  stone 
trunks  are  broken  transversely,  the  breaks  having 
occurred,  evidently  in  the  stony  condition. 

30 


466  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEBIC  A, 

The  rock  of  the  ridge  is  a  volcanic  sandstone. 
The  trees  were  redwood,  of  the  species  still  growing 
in  the  same  region.  Another  similar  "petrified 
forest"  is  found  in  the  valley  of  Cedar  Creek,  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  State. 

There  are  many  cascades  besides  those  of  the 
wonderful  valleys  already  described.  "  There  is 
a  cataract  about  five  hundred  feet  high  on  Fall 
Eiver,  which  flows  into  the  Middle  Fork  of  Feather 
Eiver;  one  of  three  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  where 
the  South  Fork  of  the  American  Eiver  flows  down 
over  a  convex  rock,  looking  like  a  streak  of  snow 
when  seen  from  a  distance ;  one  of  sixty-feet  in  the 
San  Antonio  Eiver,  Calaveras  County;  another  of 
seventy-five  feet  on  the  same  stream,  which  falls 
fourteen  hundred  feet  within  a  mile;  and  one  of 
three  hundred  feet,  called  the  "Eifle-box  Falls," 
in  Deer  Creek,  Nevada  County." 

There  are  five  natural  bridges  in  the  State,  all  of 
which  are  interesting  to  tourists.  The  largest  of 
these  is  on  a  small  creek  which  empties  into  the 
Hay  Fork  of  the  Trinity  Eiver ;  a  ledge  of  rock  300 
feet  wide  crosses  the  valley.  Below  this  rock,  the 
creek  flows  through  an  arch  twenty  feet  high  by 
eighty  across.  The  rock  above  the  arch  is  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  deep.  On  Lost  Eiver  there  are 
two  natural  bridges,  about  thirty  feet  apart.  Each 
is  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  wide  and  about  eighty 
feet  long.  One  of  these  is  used  by  travelers.  On 
Coyote  Creek,  in  Tuolumne  County  are  two  natural 
bridges  half  a  mile  apart.  These  are  285  feet  long, 
thirty- six  feet  high. 

Of  the  caves  in  California,  which,  by  the  way,  are 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  467 

not  very  numerous,  the  "Alabaster,"  seven  miles 
from  Auburn,  in  Placer  County,  is  the  most  noted. 
It  has  two  chambers,  the  larger  of  which  is  about 
two  hundred  feet  long,  and  about  half  as  wide.  It 
contains  many  very  beautiful  stalactites  and  stalag- 
mites. The  "  Cave  of  Skulls,"  in  Calaveras  County, 
when  first  discovered  contained  a  great  number  of 
human  skulls  and  bones,  all  incrusted  in  carbonate 
or  sulphate  of  lime.  These  bones  are  now  in  the 
Smithsonian  Institute. 

The  mirage  is  often  seen  in  some  parts  of  Cah- 
fornia.  ''All  the  phenomena  of  this  illusion,"  says- 
Prof.  Blake,  "  are  exhibited  on  a  grand  scale  upon 
the  Colorado  Desert.  Mountain  ranges,  so  far  dis- 
tant as  to  be  below  the  horizon,  are  made  to  rise 
into  view  in  distorted  and  changing  outlines.  In- 
verted images  of  smaller  objects,  and  apparent  lakes 
of  clear  water,  are  often  seen,  and  invite  the  trav- 
eler to  turn  aside  for  refreshment.  The  first  exhi- 
bition of  a  mirage  that  was  seen  by  our  party,  was 
from  the  margin  of  the  plain  at  Carriso  Creek,  look- 
ing toward  the  Gila,  about  ninety  miles  distant.  It 
was  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  eastern  sky  had 
that  golden  hue  which  precedes  the  rising  sun. 
Tall,  blue  columns,  and  the  spires  of  churches  and 
overhanging  precipices  seemed  to  stand  upon  the 
verge  of  the  plain.  These  outlines  were  changing 
gradually,  and,  as  the  sun  rose  higher,  they  were 
slowly  dissipated.  After  reaching  Fort  Yuma,  and 
witnessing  the  strangely  precipitous  and  pinnacled 
outhne  of  the  mountains  beyond,  it  was  at  once  ap- 
parent that  the  mirage  consisted  of  their  distorted 
images.     When  we  were  upon  the  northern  part  of 


468  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

the  desert,  the  peak  of  Signal  Mountain  was  often 
distorted  and  raised  above  the  horizon.  The  points 
of  distant  ranges  also  seemed  at  times  to  be  ele- 
vated above  the  surface  preciselv  as  the  headlands 
of  a  coast  sometimes  appear  to  rise  above  the  water 
at  sea. 

The  plants,  birds,  quadrupeds  and  fishes  of  Cali- 
fornia are  in  many  essential  respects  quite  unlike 
those  of  other  countries.  In  vegetation,  California 
more  closely  resembles  Southern  Europe,  than  the 
States  and  Territories  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 
The  species  of  trees  and  plants  are  comparatively 
few  in  number.  The  valleys  and  low  hills  abound 
in  wild  flowers,  but  nearly  all  bloom  within  a  brief 
period.  The  forests  are  more  frequently  found  on 
the  mountains,  and  near  the  ocean,  north  of  thirty- 
six  degrees  of  latitude.  The  general  barrenness  of 
the  hills  is  always  remarked  by  travelers.  Most  of 
the  valleys  south  of  the  35th  degree  of  latitude  are 
treeless.  The  Sierra  Nevada  and  the  Western 
slope  of  the  coast  range  have  heavy  forests,  the 
timber  being  spruce,  pine  and  fir.  In  some  sections 
are  found  the  redwood,  laurel,  arbor  vitae,  madrona, 
evergreen  oak  and  other  varieties. 

Among  the  various  plants,  there  is  one  known 
as  the  amole,  or  soap-plant,  the  root  of  which,  when 
rubbed  in  water,  makes  a  lather.  It  was  extensively 
used  for  washing  by  the  Indians  and  Spanish  Cali- 
fornians  prior  to  the  American  conquest.  The  wild 
oat  grows  on  hill  and  plain,  and  furnishes  a  large 
part  of  the  wild  pasture  of  the  State.  It  is  never 
threshed,  but  is  excellent  sustenance  for  cattle. 
The  white  California  clover  has  a  large  yellowish- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  469 

white  bloom,  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter,  and  is  a  beautiful  plant  as  an  ornament 
for  gardens.  In  some  situations,  where  the  earth 
is  moist,  itfgrows  to  the  height  of  two  feet.  Cali- 
fornia is  perhaps  the  best  grape  country  in  the 
world.  The  grape  region  extends  six  hundred  miles 
north  and  south,  between  latitude  32  and  41  degrees, 
with  an'average  breadth  of  one  hundred  miles.  Hit- 
tell  says :  "  The  grape  vine  supposed  to  be  the  largest 
in  the  world,  grows  at  Montecito,  near  Santa  Bar- 
bara. It  is  of  the  Los  Angeles  variety,  was  planted 
in  1795,  has  a  trunk  15  inches  in  diameter,  and  its 
branches  are  supported  by  an  arbor  115  feet  long 
and  78  feet  wide.  It  has  in  a  favorable  year,  borne 
four  tons  of  grapes.  It  is,  however,  beginning  to 
loose  its  vigor." 

There  are  a  great  variety  and  abundance  of  wild 
flowers  in  California,  and  they  have  different  seasons 
for  blooming;  and  in  canons,  where  the  soil  is 
always  moist,  flowers  may  be  seen  every  month  in 
the  year. 

In  March,  the  grass  of  a  valley  may  be  hidden 
under  red,  in  April  under  blue,  and  in  May  under 
yeUow  bloom.  Grace  Greenwood  says  of  the  flowers 
in  May: — "The  grand  California  flower  show  is  at 
its  height.  Anything  more  gorgeously  beautiful 
than  the  display  in  meadows  and  wild  pasture  land, 
on  hill  side  and  river  side,  it  were  impossible  for 
any  one  but  a  mad  florist  to  imagine.  Along  the 
railroads  on  either  hand  runs  continuously  the  rich, 
radiant  bloom.  Your  sight  becomes  pained,  your 
very  brain  bewildered  by  watching  the  galloping 
rainbow.     There  are  great  fields,  in  which  flowers 


470  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

of  many  sorts  are  mingled  in  a  perfect  carnival  of 
color;  then  come  exclusive  family  gatherings,  where 
the  blues,  the  crimsons  or  the  purples  have  it  all 
their  own  way ;  and  every  now  and  then  you  come 
upon  great  tracts,  resplendent  with  the  most  royally 
gorgeous  of  all  wild  flowers,  the  yellow  or  orange 
poppy — 'the  golden  cup.'  Every  such  tract  where 
the  sumptuous  blossoms  stand  thick,  reminds  one 
of  the  'Field  of  the  cloth  of  gold.'  They  are  pecu- 
liarly joyous  looking  flowers  massed  together,  dan- 
cing and  hob-nobbing,  and  lifting  their  golden 
goblets  to  be  filled  by  the  morning  sun."  The  grass 
continues  green  till  June,  when  it  begins  to  change 
to  a  yellowish  brown.  The  drought  is  fatal  to  the 
grass,  and  when  the  prairies  of  Indiana  and  Illinois 
are  covered  with  snow,  the  valleys  of  California  are 
dressed  in  brilliant  verdure. 

"The  azaleas  of  California  are  abundant  and  rich 
in  perfume ;  a  species  of  calycanthus  without  fra- 
grance, is  found  in  the  canons,  and  the  ceanothus 
or  California  lilac,  of  which  there  are  many  species, 
is  a  beautiful  evergreen  shrub,  growing  about  ten 
feet  high,  with  clusters  of  lilac-like  flowers  of 
various  shades  of  blue,  violet  and  red,  according  to 
the  species.  The  tree  produces  a  multitude  of 
little  twigs  and  a  dense  foliage  and  may  be  trimmed 
into  almost  any  shape. 

In  the  southern  parts  of  the  State,  and  in  the 
Colorado  Desert,  many  varieties  of  cactus  grow. 
The  largest  is  the  candelabrum  which  attains  a 
height  of  fifty  feet,  and  often  has  from  two  to  six 
branches,  half  as  thick  as  the  trunk.  These  run 
out  horizontally  a  foot  or  two,  then  turning  at  a 


AND   WONDERS    OF    THE   WEST. 


471 


right  angle,  rise  vertically  parallel  with  the  niain 

stem.     The  cactus  is  prized  by  the  Indians  for  its 

abundant  moisture,   although  its  fruit  is  insipid. 

Several  species  of  palm  grow  in  the  Colorado  and 

Mojave    Deserts, 

and  one  bears   an 

edible  date,  but  this 

is    seldom     found. 

Desert   vegetation 

includes    also    the 

bayonet  -  tree,   the 

naesquit  -  tree    and 

the    maguey    or 

American  aloe ;  the 

latter  grows  to  the 

height  of  fifty  feet. 

The  ocean  near 
the  shore  from  the 
Golden  Gatesouth- 
ward,  has  a  great 
variety  of  sea- 
weeds, some  of 
which  are  very 
beautiful. 

In  past  ages,  the 
northern  part  of 
California  was  the 
scene  of  great",vol- 
<ianic  activity.  Many  of  the  lava  beds  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  are  prominent  features  of  the  landscape. 
About  Mt.f Shasta,  there  are  immense  deposits  of 
volcanic  matter,  and  geologists  maintain  that  at 
least  ten  thousand  feet  of  the  elevation  of  that  peak 
8  of  volcanic  origin.     It  is  beheved  that  Mt.  St. 


472  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OP   AMERICA, 

Helena  is  also  an  extinct  volcano.  Clear  Lake^ 
which  is  twenty  miles  long,  was  doubtless  the  cra- 
ter of  a  volcano,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that^ 
the  geysers  derive  their  heat  from  deep  internal 
fires.  California  has  numerous  dead  rivers  or  chan- 
nels, in  which  once  flowed  large  streams  of  water, 
but  now  filled  with  gravel;  in  these  river  beds, 
large  quantities  of  gold  have  been  discovered. 

There  are  a  great  number  of  artesian  wells  in  the 
State.  In  that  part  of  Santa  Clara  County  where 
water  can  be  obtained  by  boring,  there  are  no  less 
than  three  hundred  wells  of  a  depth  varying  from 
fifty  to  four  hundred  feet.  The  water  so  obtained 
is  used  for  irrigation  and  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses. It  is  believed  that  the  supply  comes  from 
subterranean  streams,  for  the  wells  throw  up  living 
fish  and  Crustacea  of  various  kinds;  some  of  the 
wells  discharge  eyeless  fish,  similar  to  those  found 
in  Mammoth  Cave,  Kentucky.  The  deeper  the 
well,  the  warmer  the  water.  Experiments  have 
shown  that  living  fish  thrown  up  from  shallow  wells 
quickly  die,  if  put  into  wells  of  greater  depth  than 
those  from  whence  they  came,  in  consequence,  per- 
haps, of  a  difference  of  temperature  in  the  waters  of 
the  wells. 

The  antedeluvian  animals  of  California  were 
wholly  distinct  from  animals  of  the  present  day. 
The  hills  and  mountains  contain  the  bones  of  the 
mastodon,  elephant.  rhinoceros,hippopotamus, horse, 
camel,  whale,  and  a  quadruped  resembling  a  tapir. 
Oyster  shells,  fifteen  inches  in  lengfth,  are  found 
near  Corral  Hollow,  and  Oyster  Peak  near  Mt. 
Diablo  is  named  for  its  fossils.     The   climate  of 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  47S 

California  was  probably  tropical  in  the  era  of  these 
extinct  races;  then  the  valleys  were  vast  swamps 
and  the  mountains  were  clothed  with  a  luxuriance 
of  vegetation  peculiar  to  the  torrid  zone. 

Many  evidences  exist  warranting  the  opinion  that 
the  region  w^as  inhabited  by  human  beings  many 
thousands  of  years  ago.  In  a  little  town  in  Cala- 
veras County,  the  skull  of  a  man  was  found  under 
four  successive  strata  of  lava,  at  a  depth  of  131  feet 
from  the  surface,  in  a  miner's  shaft.  The  first  stra- 
tum was  of  black  lava,  forty  feet  deep ;  then  gravel 
three  feet ;  light  lava  thirty  feet ;  gravel  five  feet, 
and  in  alternate  strata  of  lava  and  gravel.  The 
most  careful  investigation  of  the  facts  fully  sustains- 
the  truth  of  the  discovery.  Prof.  Blake,  of  San 
Francisco,  reported  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in 
1873,  the  discovery  of  artificial  stone  ornaments, 
etc.,  near  San  Francisco,  indicating  the  existence- 
of  men  in  the  Pliocene  era.  In  1859,  the  skeleton 
of  a  man  was  found,  sixteen  feet  deep  in  the  earth, 
in  Los  Angeles  County.  In  1855,  two  stone  mor- 
tars, such  as  were  used  by  the  Indians  for  grinding 
acorns  and  grass  seeds,  were  found  near  Diamond 
Springs,  Eldorado  Coimty,  at  a  depth  of  one  hun- 
dred feet  below  the  surface.  In  1854,  the  skeletons 
of  two  men  were  found  at  Rattlesnake  Bar,  fourteen 
feet  below  the  surface,  and  under  ancient  strata 
which  had  apparently  not  been  disturbed  fxom  the 
time  of  their  deposition. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  salubrity  of  the  chmate  of 
the  State;  but  there  are  certain  meteorological 
conditions,  now  and  then  occurring  in  various 
places,  which  should  also  be  mentioned.     Cases  are 


474  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

on  record  of  a  sirocco,  or  burning  hot  wind,  visiting 
the  coast.  On  Friday,  June  17,1859,  one  was  felt 
at  the  town  of  Santa  Barbara.  That  day  will  be 
long  remembered  by  the  inhabitants,  from  the  burn- 
ing, blasting  heat  experienced,  and  the  effects 
thereof.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that  for  the  period  of 
thirty  years,  nothing  in  comparison  had  been  felt  in 
this  country.  The  sun  rose  like  a  ball  of  fire,  on 
that  day ;  but,  though  quite  warm,  no  inconvenience 
was  caused  thereby  until  2  o'clock  P.  M.,  when, 
suddenly,  a  blast  of  heated  air  swept  through  the 
streets,  followed  quickly  by  others;  and  shortly 
afterwards  the  atmosphere  became  so  intensely 
heated  that  no  human  being  could  withstand  its 
force ;  all  sought  their  dwellings  and  had  to  shut 
doors  and  windows  and  remain  for  hours  confined 
to  their  houses.  The  effect  of  such  intense  and  un- 
parahed  heat  was  demonstrated  by  the  death  of 
many  animals  and  birds.  The  trees  were  all  blasted, 
and  the  fruit,  such  as  pears  and  apples,  literally 
roasted  on  the  trees,  and  the  same  as  if  they  had 
been  cast  on  live  coals.  But,  strange  to  say,  they 
were  only  burned  on  one  side — the  direction  whence 
came  the  wind.  All  kinds  of  metal  became  so 
heated,  that  for  hours  nothing  of  the  kind  could  be 
touched  with  the  naked  hands.  The  thermometer 
rose  to  nearly  fever  heat,  in  the  shade. 

Near  an  open  door,  and  during  the  prevalence  of 
this  properly-caUed  sirocco,  the  streets  were  filled 
with  impenetrable  clouds  of  fine  dust  or  pulver- 
ized clay.  Whatever  the  cause  of  the  phenomenon, 
we  see  its  terrible  effects  all  around  us  in  blighted 
trees,  ruined  gardens,  blasted  fruit,  and  almost  a 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  475 

general  destruction  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  here. 
A  fisherman  who  was  out  at  sea,  came  back  with 
his  arms  all  blistered."  A  similar  occurrence  of  a 
hot  wind  six  days  later,  in  Stanislaus  County,  was 
reported  by  the  Stockton  journals.  They  mention 
its  fatal  effects  upon  horses  and  other  animals,  and 
say  that  at  a  public  house,  birds  flew  into  the  bar- 
room for  shelter,  so  tame  had  they  suddenly  be- 
come. Birds,  in  great  numbers,  fell  dead  from  the 
trees  as  if  they  had  been  shot ;  the  while  the  ther- 
mometer was  113  degrees  in  the  shade. 

In  the  Colorado  Desert,  and  in  some  other  dis- 
tricts in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  sand- 
storms similar  to  the  simoons  of  Africa,  but  not  so 
dangerous,  occasionally  occur.  A  Journalist  thus 
speaks  of  one — "A  huge,  black  cloud  rising  from 
the  western  horizon,  warns  the  traveler  of  its 
approach.  Kapidly  it  spreads  over  the  sky,  darkens 
the  sun,  and  the  fine  particles  of  sand  are  swept 
before  the  gale  in  a  dense  and  suffocating  cloud; 
even  the  large  gravel  and  pebbles  are  sometimes 
hfted  from  the  plain  and  carried  like  hail  before  the 
force  of  the  blast.  The  horses  are  blinded,  paraly- 
zed with  fear,  and  no  urging  can  induce  them  to  go 
forward ;  and  to  go  on  would  be  folly ;  the  road  and 
sun  are  hid  from  view ;  no  land-marks  are  visible 
by  which  to  be  guided.  The  only  course  is  to  wait 
until  the  storm  has  passed,  which  will  be,  doubtless, 
in  from  six  to  ten  hours." 

In  every  city,  in  every  town  and  village  through- 
out California,  so  far  as  our  observation  extended — 
and  our  stay  was  for  several  months  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  observation — the  inhabitants  evince  the 


476  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

most  remarkable  enterprise  and  perseverance.  In 
many  places,  they  have  triumphed  over  apparently 
insurmountable  obstacles  and  barriers  to  progress, 
and  have  accomplished  wonders  in  every  depart- 
ment of  industry  and  art.  A  more  hospitable  and 
noble  people  does  not  exist.  The  citizens  of  San 
Francisco,  especially  seem  to  combine  the  distin- 
guishing characteristics  of  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
Cincinnati  and  New  York. 

Eminently  enterprising  without  rashness,  prompt 
in  execution,  and  with  taste  and  culture  nowhere 
excelled,  the  people  of  San  Francisco  have  built 
one  of  the  most  attractive  and  everyway  delightful 
cities  in  this  country,  and  with  lavish  hand  have 
established  all  sorts  of  humanitarian  institutions; 
and  commensurate  with  their  notable  liberality  in 
every  worthy  cause,  they  have  prospered  abund- 
antly from  the  earliest  period  of  the  history  of  the 
city  to  the  present  hour.  The  probity,  integrity, 
enterprise  and  sound  judgment  of  the  commercial 
and  mercantile  houses  of  this  and  every  large  Cali- 
fornia city  have  given  them  a  reputation  the  world 
over.  The  elegance  of  private  residences,  the  mag- 
nificence of  business  establishments  and  emporiums 
of  trade,  the  activity,  industry,  thrift  and  prosperity 
which  characterize  every  department  of  business, 
in  the  leading  cities  of  the  State,  are  all  matters 
which  invite  the  observation  and  elicit  the  highest 
admiration  of  all  visitors,  who  are  cosmopolitan 
enough  to  discriminate  intelligently  and  just  enough 
to  pronounce  fairly  upon  them. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  the  Indians  of  Cah- 
fornia  numbered  fifty  thousand  or  more,  but  now 


AND   WONDEKS    OF    THE    WEST.  477 

•scarcely  one-tenth  of  the  number  remain.  They 
have  been  robbed,  driven  away  or  killed  by  the 
white  men.  At  the  time  of  the  first  discovery  of 
gold  in  Cahfornia,  nearly  every  little  valley  had  its 
tribe,  and  there  were  scores  of  tribes  in  the  Sacra- 
mento Basin  and  elsewhere  in  the  State,  but  most 
of  these  bands  have  been  destroyed — have  fallen  by 
whiskey  and  bullets  of  the  white  settlers.  The  Cah- 
fornia Indians,  with  the  exception  of  the  Mojaves, 
a,re  supposed  to  belong  to  the  Shoshone  Nation. 
They  are  physically  and  mentally  inferior  to  their 
relatives  in  Nevada,  and  vastly  inferior  to  the  In- 
dians, who  lived  a  century  ago  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. Until  within  a  comparatively  recent  period, 
the  California  Indians  knew  nothing  of  the  use  of 
fire-arms,  but  now  they  are  generally  expert  enough 
with  them.  The  Indian  men  are  about  nve  feet 
and  a  half  high,  and  the  women  httle  below  five  feet. 
Both  men  and  women,  are  large  in  body,  but  slim 
in  limbs,  as  compared  with  the  white  race.  They 
wear  but  very  little  clothing,  and  are  exceedingly 
filthy  in  their  habits.  The  tribes  are  small,  and 
have  no  wealth  and  no  laws.  Their  rule  is  blood 
for  blood.  They  have  no  marriage  ceremony,  and 
squaws  who  wish  to  remain  mistresses  of  the  wig- 
wam, or  rather  slaves  of  the  lord,  are  always  upon 
their  good  behavior,  and  soundly  beaten  if  they 
conduct  ill.  Their  children  are  few,  and  mostly 
boys.     They  have  no  religious  ceremonies. 

The  wild  Indians  have  no  permanent  place  of  resi- 
dence. Each  tribe  has  a  territory,  and  each  family 
a  wigwam  or  rancheria;  these  are  usually  on  the 
banks  of  streams,  in  the  vicinity  of  oak-trees,  horse- 


478  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

chestnut  bushes  and  patches  of  wild  clover,  upon 
the  product  of  which  in  part  they  subsist.  Such 
places  generally  have  a  picturesque  scenery.  They 
consist  of  acorns,  clover,  grass  seed,  grass  hoppers, 
horse-chestnuts,  fish,  game,  pine  nuts,  edible  roots 
and  berries.  The  acorns,  which  are  very  large,  are 
collected  by  the  squaws,  who  grind  them  and  boil 
them  into  a  paste  or  bake  them  into  bread.  The 
oven,  a  hole  in  the  ground,  is  heated  by  hot  stones. 
The  bread  is  not  very  inviting  in  looks  or  in  taste. 
The  Indians  use  no  utensils  in  the  preparation  of 
their  food,  beyond  a  mortar  and  water  proof  basket, 
and  eat  without  knives  or  other  conveniences  except 
their  fingers.  With  the  exception  of  one  or  two  tribes 
in  the  Colorado  Desert,  the  wild  Indians  never 
tilled  the  soil.  They  are  very  familiar  with  the 
habits  of  wild  animals.  Hittell  teUs  us,  that  they 
know  precisely  the  character  of  the  brushwood  and 
ravines,  in  which  the  deer  and  bear  hide  during  the 
day,  and  the  places  to  which  they  go  to  feed  in  the 
morning  and  evening.  In  hunting  deer  and  ante- 
lope in  places  where  there  is  grass,  the  Indian  will 
sometimes  hold  the  skull  and  horns  of  a  buck  deer 
before  him,  and  thus  crawl  within  bow  or  gun  shot. 
The  Pit  Kiver  Indians  dig  pits  and  cover  them 
with  brush  and  grass,  and  thus  catch  deer,  hares 
and  other  game.  They  often  use  nets  for  catching 
water  fowl.  Salmon  are  speared.  The  bow  and 
arrow,  spear  net,  glass  or  obsidian  knife,  mortar  and 
basket  are  the  only  tools  made  by  the  Indian. 
Such  were  some  of  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
red  men  twenty  years  ago,  but  by  contact  with 
white  men,  they  have  modified  their  wild  habits, 
and  in  many  instances  adopted  worse  ones. 


AND  WONDERS  OF  THE  WEST.  479 

The  largest  and  most  formidable  of  the  quadrupeds^ 
of  California  is  the  grizzly  bear.  When  fully  grown 
he  is  four  feet  high,  seven  feet  long,  and  when  fat^ 
weighs  two  thousand  pounds,  though  generally  ha 
does  not  weigh  over  one  thousand,  being  the  largest 
of  the  carniverous  animals.  His  body  is  Hght  grayish 
brown ;  about  the  ears  and  on  the  back  and  legs  dark 
brown;  the  hair  is  long,  coarse  and  wiry,  and  stiff 
on  the  neck  and  shoulders.  California  was  once 
infested  with  grizzly s,  but  they  are  now  more  seldom 
found.  He  lurks  in  the  chaparral  or  bushes,  whereas 
the  black  bear  prefers  the  heavy  forest.  It  is  not 
an  easy  thing  to  kill  a  grizzly  with  a  single  b^uUet, 
and  no  expert  hunter  will  fire  upon  one  when  the 
bear  is  lying  down.  His  thick  and  coarse  hair  is^ 
almost  as  good  as  a  shield  or  the  hide  of  the  rhino- 
ceros, and  even  when  supposed  to  be  mortally 
wounded,  he  will  make  a  long  and  vigorous  fight. 
His  wound  infuriates  him  and  he  becomes  a  terrible 
enemy,  as  his  speed  is  almost  equal  to  that  of  a 
horse. 

I  recall  an  instance  in  which  Barstow  fired  upon 
a  grizzly  at  good  range,  and  the  bullet  entered  the 
animal's  breast,  but  instead  of  dying  as  it  was  sup- 
posed he  would,  he  dashed  down  toward  Mr.  Bar- 
stow  with  great  fury,  and  that  gentleman  was 
obliged  to  run  at  all  speed  to  escape,  and  even  then 
he  would  have  been  overtaken,  but  seeing  a  tall  and 
slender  pine  tree  near  at  hand,  he  hastily  chmbed 
up.  The  bear  approached  the  tree,  and  reached  up 
as  far  as  possible,  standing  upon  his  hind  legs,  and 
failing  to  reach  his  enemy  he  waited  for  more  than 
an  hour,  watching,  and  growling,  and  then  deliber- 
ately walked  away. 


480  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEBICA, 

It  sometimes,  indeed  often  occurs,  that  hunters 
are  killed  by  these  ferocious  beasts;  but  the  animal 
seldom  or  never  makes  the  first  attack.  Usually  he 
will  move  off  if  he  sees  a  man  approaching,  but 
wounded,  he  never  retreats.  The  dam  will  attack 
snj  person  who  comes  near  her  cubs.  The  grizzly 
generally  feeds  upon  vegetables,  roots  and  herbage, 
but  is  very  fond  of  fresh  pork,  which,  by  the  way 
his  own  flesh  greatly  resembles  in  taste.  He  is 
quiet  during  the  day,  but  goes  abroad  at  night,  in 
quest  of  food.  The  cub  of  the  grizzly  is  easily 
tamed  and  can  be  trained  with  as  great  facility  as  a 
Newfoundland  dog. 

Among  the  wild  animals  of  California  are  several 
species  of  bear,  the  cougar,  wild-cat,  gray  wolf, 
coyote,  foxes,  badger,  raccoon,  opossum,  mountain 
cat,  porcupine,  rabbits,  deer,  antelope,  mountain 
sheep,  seal,  sea  otter,  sea  lion,  beaver  and  squirrels. 
Here  we  find  the  golden  and  bald  eagles,  hawks, 
vultures  and  a  great  variety  of  birds  of  plumage  and 
of  song. 

In  California  as  in  all  the  States  and  Territories 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  we  find  many  thousands  of 
immigrants  coming  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Canada  sends  many  thousands  to  California,  Kan- 
sas, Nebraska,  Dakota,  and  indeed  to  every  region 
offering  extraordinary  inducements  to  settlers;  so 
too  does  England  and  all  the  countries  of  Europe, 
so  does  China,  and  while  each  and  all  are  helping 
to  develop  our  resources,  some  races  are  proving 
more  serviceable  than  others.  With  our  present 
knowledge  derived  from  observation,  it  is  not  an 
^asy  thing  to  say  what  races  will  exert  the  greatest 
influence  upon  the  destiny  of  the  nation. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  481 

The  race  problem  in  this  country,  is  far  more 
difficult  to  solve  than  in  England ;  indeed,  an  accu- 
rate solution  is  manifestly  impossible  until  a  suffi- 
cient time  shall  have  elapsed  to  give  that  oneness 
to  our  population  which  it  necessarily  lacks  at  the 
present  time.  We  are  not  yet  one  people,  we  are 
many  peoples,  and  all  that  can  be  done  in  a  brief 
examination  of  our  nationahty,  present  and  prospec- 
tive, is  to  judge  from  the  leading  characteristics  of 
the  many,  what  the  one  will  be  when  it  arrives. 
The  wonderful  variety  of  races  to  be  found  in  the 
American  Republic  is  an  additional  and  far  more 
important  difficulty.  No  nation  has  ever  drawn 
supplies  of  humanity  from  such  widely  diverse  sourc- 
es. Egypt,  at  the  height  of  her  renown,  was  only 
a  close  corporation,  composed  of  the  tribes  inhabit- 
ing the  lower  valley  of  the  Nile.  Greece  prided 
herself  upon  the  practical  exclusion  of  '^  outside 
barbarians."  Rome,  when  the  foundations  of  her 
future  empire  were  laid,  was  merely  a  concentra- 
tion and  organization  of  the  rude  popular  forces  of 
Southern  Italy.  England  is  the  common  stock  of 
only  five  roots — omitting  the  Romans  from  the  cal- 
culation, as  they  were  never  in  any  sense  fixed  to 
British  soil. 

In  New  York,  Chicago,  San  Francisco,  Bos- 
ton, New  Orleans  or  St.  Louis,  one  may  meet  in 
a  single  day's  walk  through  the  streets  the  repres- 
entatives of  more  distinct  races  of  men  than  make 
up  the  combined  nationalities  of  Egypt,  Greece, 
Rome  and  England.  America  is  literally  the  home 
of  all  nations.    The  vast  extent  of  our  territory  with 

its  many  millions  of  acres  unreclaimed  from  prim- 
si 


482  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS   OF   AMERICA, 

itive  condition,  and  consequent  cheapness  of  land; 
our  democratic  form  of  government,  the  opportuni- 
ties offered  for  the  acquisition  of  wealth,  and  the 
fascination  which  always  attaches  to  a  new  country, 
all  unite  to  stimulate  immigration  from  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe.  Asia,  Africa  and  Europe 
contribute  to  the  growth  of  America,  and  are  sev- 
erally largely  represented  in  our  fifty  millions  of 
people.  Chinese,  Negroes,  Hebrews,  Eussians,  Ger- 
mans, Italians,  Swiss,  French,  Dutch,  Scandinavi- 
ans, Poles,  Spanish,  Portugese,  Irish,  Scotch,  Welch, 
English,  South  Sea  Islanders,  Mexicans,  South 
Americans  meet  here  on  the  neutral  ground  and 
are  working  together  for  the  formation  of  the  one 
people,  which  in  the  near  or  remote  future  shall 
embrace  the  ruling  quahties  of  all.  Hence  we  find 
a  very  marked  diversity  of  character  and  progress 
throughout  the  country,  from  the  highest  culture 
and  refinement  down  to  the  lowest  condition  recog- 
nized as  civilization,  the  various  nationahties  sev- 
erally exerting  their  influence  upon  entire  communi- 
ties and  sections,  to  so  great  an  extent  that  a  trav- 
eler could  scarcely,  at  all  times,  beheve  himself  to  be 
in  the  same  country  in  passing  from  State  to  State. 
Looking  over  this  hst  of  nationalities,  which 
might  be  made  even  longer  than  it  is,  we  may  put 
our  fingers  upon  several  famihes  that  are  not  likely 
to  enter  largely  into  the  united  American  family  to 
come  hereafter.  Neither  the  Asiatic  nor  the  Afri- 
can, can  exercise  any  permanent  influence  in  the 
moulding  of  the  national  character.  Their  presence 
among  us  bring  some  good  and  some  evil, — it  is  not 
needful  to  balance  the  account, — but  they  have 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  483 

neither  the  intellectual  nor  the  moral  elements  to 
make  an  indelible  mark.  They  are  now,  and  per- 
haps always  must  be  foreigners ;  with  us,  but  not 
always  of  us ;  coloring,  to  a  certain  extent,  our  leg- 
islation, language  and  habits  of  thought;  affecting 
more  or  less  our  industry  and  finance,  hindering  or 
helping  our  general  development,  but  accomplishing 
nothing  of  an  enduring  nature, — nothing  which 
three  or  five  hundred  years  hence  will  be  sufficiently 
visible  to  permit  the  tracing  back  to  an  African 
or  Asiatic  origin.  The  America  of  the  22d  century 
of  the  Christian  Era,  will  be  purely  American  only 
in  its  name  and  physical  geography.  It  will  be^ 
Europe  passed  through  the  American  crucible. 
The  most  healthy  and  vigorous  European  races 
will  have  been  melted  together  into  an  American- 
ized race — a  race  whose  European  blood  and  brain 
will  be  stamped  with  innumerable  peculiarities 
derived  from  American  soil,  chmate,  scenery  and  in- 
stitutions. 

The  foundation  for  this  unity  of  races  will  un- 
doubtedly be  English,  for  while  we  have  shaken 
off  the  political  yoke  of  the  mother  country,  the 
language,  the  literature  and  best  political  ideas, 
of  England  must  always  hold  us  nearer  to  the 
English  type  than  to  any  other.  The  descendants 
of  the  Puritans  and  Cavahers  who  first  settled 
Massachusetts  and  Virginia  cannot  rid  themselves 
of  the  ancestral  chain  which  binds  them  to  the 
grand  little  Island  across  the  sea,  and  no  revolution 
in  politics,  in  society  or  rehgion,  can  entirely 
obhterate  the  impression  made  upon  national  man- 
ners, and  thought  by  the  strongly  marked  men,  who 


484  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

left  home  and  friends  to  plant  the  seeds  of  Enghsh 
civilization  and  culture  in  the  American  wilderness. 
Accepting  the  English  as  the  fundamental  type  of 
the  future  nationality,  what  other  races  will  pro- 
bably compose  the  predominating  part  of  the  super- 
structure ?  The  statistics  of  immigration  furnish 
an  answer  to  this  interesting  question. 

Ireland  and  Germany  send  us  the  most  re-inforce- 
ments,  and  the  Irish  and  German  character  has  al- 
ready infused  itself  in  the  American  to  a  much 
greater  extent  than  is  commonly  supposed.  There 
are  more  Irish  in  America  to-day,  than  in  Ireland, 
and  there  are  portions  of  America,  as  German  as 
Germany;  and  while  it  is  true  that  the  Irish  born 
in  Ireland,  and  the  Germans  born  in  Germany,  are 
what  is  c^led  "clannish,"  we  have  only  to  study 
their  children  to  see  that  the  clannishness  is  not  per- 
manent. It  wears  off  rapidly  in  the  second  genera- 
tion, and  is  scarcely  perceptible  in  the  third.  In 
other  words,  the  grandson  of  a  German  or  Irish  im- 
migrant is,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  an  Ameri- 
can,— not  precisely  the  same  sort  of  an  American 
as  the  man  of  Anglo-Saxon  lineage,  but  resembling 
him  more  closely  than  he  does  the  Anglo-Saxon. 
Twenty  generations  cannot  extinguish  all  the  race 
instincts  and  ideas,  but  enough  of  them  are  removed 
in  the  second  and  third  to  foreshadow  the  inevita- 
ble result.  It  may  then  be  safely  predicted  that 
when  the  amalgamation  is  consummated,  and  the 
unity  of  races  an  established  fact,  we  shaU  have  a 
race  of  Americans,  in  which  the  eye  of  the  careful 
observer  may  detect  .the  sturdy  virtues  brought 
from  England,  the  thrifty  economy  and  plain  com- 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST. 


485 


mon  sense  brought  from  Germany,  and  the  chival- 
rous courage,  the  poetic  imagination,  the  matchless 
wit,  and  invincible  good  nature  brought  from  Ire- 
land. All  these  blended  into  one,  and  that  one 
tinted  as  it  must  be  by  contact  with  races,  smaller 
in  number  and  less  distinct  than  the  dominant 
three,  will  certainly  produce  a  nationahty  unlike 
any  the  world  has  yet  seen,  and  in  very  many  re- 
spects superior  to  any  now  existing.  If  the  Ameri- 
can Eepublic  be  true  to  itself,  what  a  magnificent 
destiny  awaits  it ! 


486  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OP   AMERICA, 


CHAPTEK  XXXII. 

Across  the  Country  to  Arizona — Natural  Features  of  the  Country — The 
Great  Elvers — Wonderful  Canons — Ancient  Ruins — Climate — Va- 
rious Indian  Tribes — Mining  Regions— The  Future  of  Arizona. 

Taking  passage  on  a  steamer  at  San  Francisco, 
we  arrived,  after  a  deHglitful  voyage,  at  the  little 
town  of  San  Diego,  on  the  extreme  southern  coast 
of  CaUfornia,  which,  whatever  its  attractiveness  to 
others,  was  to  us  only  a  point  of  departure  across 
the  State  by  stage  to  Arizona  City,  a  distance  of 
eighty  miles,  as  reported  in  the  time  table,  but  to 
us  it  was  interminably  long  and  wearisome,  al- 
though I  give  the  driver  credit  for  making  his  seven 
miles  an  hour,  as  required  by  the  mail  service  to  do. 
We  would  have  preferred  to  make  the  entire  pass- 
age from  San  Francisco  to  the  mouth  of  the  Color- 
ado Eiver  in  one  of  the  steamers  of  the  Hne  connect- 
ing with  the  steamboats  that  ply  upon  that  majestic 
and  rapid  stream,  but  this  was  inexpedient  for  us ; 
and,  as  all  things  have  an  end,  so  did  our  wearisome 
stage  ride  terminate  at  last,  and  we  found  ourselves 
in  the  great  Territory  of  Arizona,  the  chief  points 
of  interest  of  which  we  proposed  to  visit,  so  far  as 
it  might  be  possible  to  do  in  the  brief  period  to 
which  our  travel  in  this  region  was  hmited. 

Arizona  lies  between  latitude  31  and  37  north,  and 
longitude  109  and  115  west.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Nevada  and  Utah,  east  by  New  Mexico, 
west  by  Cahfornia  and  Nevada,  and  south  by  So- 
nera, Mexico.    This  vast  region  is  700  miles  long, 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  487 

with  an  average  width  of  140  miles,  and  contains  an 
area  of  seventy-three  milHon  acres.  Arizona  was 
Mexican  Territory,  and  peopled  only  by  Indians 
until  1853,  when  it  was  acquired  by  the  United 
States ;  ten  years  later,  a  territorial  form  of  govern- 
ment was  organized. 

The  word  "Arizona"  is  derived  from  the  Aztec, 
and  signifies  ''Silver-bearing" — a  most  appropriate 
name,  in  view  of  the  vast  wealth  of  the  silver  mines 
of  the  Territory.  The  mountain  ranges  generally 
run  northeast  and  southwest ;  the  Magollon  Moun- 
tains and  a  chain  extending  into  New  Mexico  run 
from  east  to  west.  The  highest  peak  in  Arizona  is 
the  San  Francisco,  which  rises  to  the  height  of 
11,000  feet. 

In  the  middle  and  northeast  parts  of  the  Terri- 
tory, there  are  plateaus  of  vast  extent,  having  an 
elevation  varying  from  three  thousand  to  seven 
thousand-five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  These 
regions  are  diversified  by  volcanic  cones  and  hills. 
In  the  north,  a  plateau,  or  mesa,  as  it  is  called,  ex- 
tends into  Utah.  South  of  the  Gila  Eiver,  the 
plain  is  but  little  above  sea  level.  The  Territory  of 
Arizona  has  never  been  fully  explored,  and  but  com- 
paratively a  small  part  of  it  has  been  surveyed.  It 
embraces  three  of  the  largest  rivers  on  the  conti- 
nent, west  of  the  Mississippi — the  Kio  Grande,  Gila 
and  Colorado. 

The  Colorado  Eiver  is  formed  by  the  union  of  the 
Green  and  Grand  Eivers,  in  the  southern  part  of 
Utah ;  it  runs  in  a  southerly  direction  for  more  than 
five  hundred  miles,  along  the  western  border  of  Ari- 
2;ona,  receiving  in  its  course  the  Chiquito,  Diamond 


488  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

and  Gila,  and  many  other  tributaries  of  less  im- 
portance. In  the  north,  the  Colorado  rushes  through 
rocky  and  precipitous  canons,  the  walls  of  which  in 
many  places,  rise  perpendicularly  to  the  terrible 
height  of  six  or  seven  thousand  feet. 

The  Colorado  is  navigable  from  Callville  to  the 
Gulf  of  California,  a  distance  of  over  six  hundred 
miles.  The  San  Carlos,  Salado,  San  Pedro  and 
Santa  Cruz — all  small  rivers — are  tributary  to  the 
Gila,  which  unites  with  the  Colorado  180  miles  from 
the  sea. 

Col.  Emery,  who  has  explored  a  large  portion  of 
the  Territory,  says :  "  The  wide  belt  of  country  that 
borders  the  Black  Forest,  and  probably  extends 
along  the  Rio  Yerde  to  the  Salinas  and  Gila,  bears 
every  indication  of  being  able  to  support  a  large 
agricultural  and  pastoral  population.  The  valley  of 
the  Rio  Yerde  is  magnificently  wooded  with  firs  and 
oaks,  affording  excellent  timber.  Ancient  ruins  are 
said  by  trappers  to  be  scattered  over  its  whole  length 
to  the  confluence  with  the  Salinas.  We  therefore 
seem  to  have  skirted  the  boundary  of  a  country  once 
populous,  and  worthy  of  becoming  so  again.  Besides 
the  advantages  already  enumerated,  the  mountains 
in  this  vicinity  bear  indications  of  mineral  wealth." 

The  country  east  of  the  Rio  Grande  is  a  great 
plain,  broken  only  by  the  Sacramento  and  Guade- 
loupe Mountains.  The  sun  never  shone  on  a  fairer 
grazing  country  than  upon  the  three  hundred  miles 
west  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  traveler  has  before 
him  throughout  the  entire  distance  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  grass  the  nutritious  qualities  of  which  are 
unsurpassed,  and  the  stock-raiser  has  the  satisfac- 


AND   WONDEES   OP   THE   WEST.  48^ 

tion  of  seeing  his  cattle  in  January,  as  fat  as  those 
that  are  stall  fed  in  the  east.  Ninety  miles  west  of 
the  Eio  Grande  is  the  Mimbres  Eiver  and  Valley. 
Still  following  the  emigrant  and  mail  road  for  a  dis- 
tance of  fifty  miles,  brings  us  to  the  capital — the 
old  Mexican  town  of  Tucson  and  the  valley  of  Santa 
Cruz. 

Like  most  of  the  streams,  the  Santa  Cruz  is  in- 
termittent,— sinking  and  rising  at  irregular  inter- 
vals. A  portion  of  this  valley  is  covered  with  a. 
heavy  grow^th  of  cottonwood.  The  mountains  in 
the  vicinity  contain  pine  and  oak,  and  the  extensive 
tracts  of  grazing  lands  south  to  the  Mexican  line, 
are  covered  thickly  with  the  mesquit,  which  makes 
excellent  fuel.  The  whole  region  between  the  Rio 
Grande  and  the  Santa  Cruz  is  broken  with  conical 
shaped  hills  and  mountains,  called  by  the  Mexicans 
'pelloncillos.  At  the  foot  of  these  hills  are  found 
springs  which  afforded  water  to  the  immense  herds 
of  cattle  and  horses  which  once  covered  the  coun- 
try; and  at  many  of  these  springs  are  found  the 
ruins  of  buildings  occupied  by  the  herders.  The 
hills  are  clothed  to  the  top  with  the  gramma  and 
other  nutritious  grasses. 

Twenty  miles  east  of  the  Sonoita  Valley,  and 
just  north  of  the  town  of  Santa  Cnuz,  is  one  of  the 
richest  silver  regions  of  Arizona.  The  Wachupe 
Mountain,  it  is  believed,  contains  an  inexhaustible 
supply  of  silver. 

The  valley  of  the  Colorado  is  fertile,  and  will  pro- 
duce all  the  tropical  fruits  as  well  as  the  cereals. 
The  Indians,  favored  by  the  annual  overflow  of  the 
river,  raise  abundant  crops  of  grains  and  vegeta- 


490  LIFE   IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

bles.  The  remains  of  extensive  irrigating  canals 
show  that  at  some  time,  long  since  gone  by,  a  large 
agricultural  population  lived  here,  but  who  these 
people  were  is  a  mystery,  which  perhaps  may  never 
be  solved.  The  soil  of  the  Colorado  bottom  is  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  rice,  sugar  and  cotton. 
This  is  the  only  portion  of  the  Territory  where  the 
heat  is  excessive.  Along  the  river  banks  there  is  a 
:fine  growth  of  cottonw^ood,  and  the  whole  valley 
abounds  with  the  mesquit. 

The  valley  of  the  Gila  Eiver, — the  waters  of 
which  flow  from  East  to  West,  dividing  the  Terri- 
tory nearly  in  the  centre — is  four  hundred  miles 
long,  and  for  the  greater  part,  is  suitable  for  tillage. 

The  valleys  of  the  uplands  and  the  alluvial  bottom 
lands  of  the  southern  section  are  quite  fertile,  and 
wherever  irrigation  can  be  obtained  the  land  yields 
largely.  The  products  are  those  of  the  temperate 
zone.  In  the  middle  valleys,  two  crops  a  year  are 
often  raised,  but  until  some  system  of  irrigation 
shall  be  adopted,  the  productive  area  will  neces- 
sarily be  hmited.  There  is  much  arable  land  in  the 
eastern  and  central  sections  and  on  the  hill  sides  of 
the  northeast.  Along  the  streams,  walnut,  cotton- 
wood,  cherry,  ash,  willow  and  other  forest  trees  are 
plentiful;  on  the- mountains  are  forests  of  oak,  pine 
and  cedar.  Since  1876  the  number  of  cattle  and 
sheep  has  increased  four  fold,  and  stock-raising  will 
^re  long  become  an  important  business. 

The  climate  of  Arizona  is  mild  and  salubrious. 
The  atmosphere  is  remarkably  dry,  with  very  httle 
rainfall.  Snow  sometimes  falls  upon  the  mountains 
and  central  portion  of  the  Territory,  but  remains  for 


AND   WONDEKS   OF   THE   WEST.  491 

only  a  few  hours.  At  Fort  Yuma,  near  Arizona  City, 
the  average  temperature  during  the  winter  months 
is  58  degrees  Fah.,  in  spring  65,  in  summer  89,  and 
in  autumn  80.  In  June,  July  and  August,  the  mer- 
cury sometimes  reaches  112  degrees.  Like  all  ele- 
vated table  land,  the  entire  region  is  free  from  mal- 
arial diseases. 

The  first  explorations  of  the  country  were  made 
by  the  Spaniards  in  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  the  numerous  ruins  which  have  been 
discovered  prove  that  the  valley  of  the  Gila  was 
highly  cultivated  and  extensively  peopled.  The 
ruins  of  aqueducts,  canals  and  houses  of  large  size, 
with  walls  of  solid  masonry,  show  that  the  inhabit- 
ants must  have  attained  a  degree  of  civilization, 
though  not  as  high  as  was  reached  by  the  Aztecs 
or  the  native  races  of  Central  America.  But  they 
have  left  no  records  of  their  history,  and  our  sole 
knowledge  of  them  is  derived  from  the  ruins  of  their 
buildings  and  towns. 

*'Many  portions  of  Arizona  are  covered  with 
ruins,  which  prove  conclusively  that  it  was  once 
densely  populated  by  a  people  far  in  advance,  in 
point  of  civilization,  of  most  of  the  Indian  tribes. 
There  is  no  written  record  of  them,  and  it  is  only  a 
matter  of  conjecture  who  and  whatthey  were.  Oc- 
■casionaUy  a  deserted  house  is  found  sufficiently 
weU  preserved  to  ascertain  the  character  of  the 
architecture.  The  walls  of  the  Casa  Grande,  situ- 
ated on  the  Gila,  near  Sanford,  are  still  two  stories 
above  the  ground.  In  size,  the  structure  is  about 
thirty  by  sixty  feet ;  the  walls  are  thick,  and  made 
of  mud,  which  was  evidently  confined  and  dried  as 


492  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

it  was  built.  It  is  divided  into  many  small  rooms^ 
and  the  partitions  are  also  made  of  mud.  The 
floors  were  made  by  placing  sticks  close  together 
and  covering  them  with  cement.  Around  and  near 
the  Casa  Grande,  are  the  ruins  of  many  other  build- 
ings ;  but,  by  the  lapse  of  time,  the  decay  of  veget- 
ation has  formed  earth  and  nearly  covered  them, 
and  all  that  now  marks  the  place  where  once  a 
stately  mansion  stood,  is  the  elevation  of  the 
ground.  Near  the  Ancha  Mountains  are  ruins  not 
so  extensive,  but  in  far  better  preservation  than  the 
Casa  Grande ;  and  near  these  ruins  are  old  arastras, 
for  the  reduction  of  silver  ore — which  indicate  that 
this  old  people  were  not  unmindful  of  the  root  of 
all  evil.  On  the  Yerde  River  are  immense  rooms 
dug  in  from  the  sides  of  high,  perpendicular  sand- 
stone banks,  that  can  only  be  reached  with  ladders. 
Yery  little  information  is  obtained  by  excavating 
these  ruins.  Pottery,  of  an  excellent  quality,  and 
ornamented  with  paint,  is  found  everywhere,  and 
occasionally  a  stone  axe  is  unearthed,  but  nothing  to 
indicate  that  they  were  a  warhke  people;  on  the 
contrary,  scarcely  an  implement  of  defense  can  be 
found,  though  there  are  reasons  to  believe,  from  the 
numerous  lookouts,  or  places  for  observation  to  be 
seen  on  the  tops  of  hills  and  mountains,  and  the 
construction  of  their  houses,  that  they  had  ene- 
mies, and  that  they  were  constantly  on  the  alert  to 
avoid  surprise ;  and,  also,  that  by  the  hands  of  these 
enemies  they  perished.  It  is  not  improbable. that 
the  Apaches  were  the  enemies  who  caused  their  de- 
struction. Indeed,  the  Apaches  have  a  legend  that 
such  is  the  case.     During  the  year  1878,  Commis- 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  498 

sioner  Safford  opened  an  old  ruin  at  Pueblo  Yiejo, 
on  the  Upper  Gila,  and  found  the  bones  of  several 
human  beings  within ;  also  the  bones  of  a  number 
of  domestic  animals.  On  the  fire,  an  olla,  crockery- 
ware  vessel,  was  found  with  the  bones  of  a  fowl  in 
it,  and  it  appeared  as  though  the  people  who  occu- 
pied the  premises,  had  resisted  an  attack  from  an 
enemy,  and  had  finally  been  murdered.  Shortly 
after  he  visited  a  ruin  in  Chino  Valley,  twenty  miles 
north  of  Prescott,  and  over  three  hundred  miles 
from  Pueblo  Yiejo,  and  there  found  that  a  resident 
had  opened  a  ruin  on  his  farm.  In  it  he  found  the 
bones  of  several  human  beings — five  adults  and 
several  children,  and  the  evidence  was  unmistakable 
that  the  inmates  had  died  by  violence,  as  the  door 
and  window  had  been  walled  up  with  stone,  evi- 
dently to  resist  a  hostile  foe.  The  subject  is  an  in- 
teresting one,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  further 
excavations  may  throw  more  light  upon  it. 

The  ruins  of  towns,  farms  and  irrigating  canals 
that  are  to  be  seen  on  every  hand  through  this  vast 
Territory,  give  abundant  proof  that  this  country 
was  once  densely  inhabited,  and  that  the  people 
who  hved  here  maintained  themselves  by  cultivat- 
ing the  soil.  Probably  that  is  about  all  we  shall 
ever  know  of  them.  Many  hieroglyphics  are  to  be 
seen  on  rocks  in  different  portions  of  the  Territory, 
but  by  whom  made,  or  what  they  mean,  no  one 
knows. 

''In  excavating  a  well  between  Tucson  and  the 
Gila,  at  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
pottery  and  other  articles,  the  same  as  found  in  the 
Ticinity  of  ruins,  were  taken  out." 


494  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEKICA, 

"On  making  particular  inquiries  respecting  the 
ruins,"  says  John  D.  Hall,  "I  find  that  they  are 
common  in  all  parts  of  the  Sonora  Eiver  region,  and 
even  on  the  river  Gila.  The  river  Sonora,  from  its 
length,  quantity  of  water,  and  abundance  of  cultiv- 
able land,  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  maintain  a  large 
population.  Many  of  the  ruins  are  of  great  extent^ 
covering  whole  table  lands,  proving  that  in  former 
times  Sonora  was  much  more  thickly  peopled  than 
at  present.  Undoubtedly  some  regularity  was  ob- 
served in  laying  out  these  towns. 

In  one  I  found  what  appeared  to  have  been  a  fort ;. 
by  its  position  it  was  well  calculated  for  defence. 
Unfortunately,  no  documents  exist,  from  which 
dates  could  be  taken,  the  archives,  and  all  belong- 
ing to  the  mission,  having  been  destroyed  at  the 
time  the  Jesuits  were  expelled.  It  is  a  known  fact 
here,  that  the  order  of  Jesuits  have  done  more 
towards  civilization  among  the  Indians,  than  any 
other  rehgious  order  in  existence." 

The  tradition  is  current  here,  and  in  aU  parts  of 
the  Opata  Nation,  that  the  great  Montezuma  was 
the  chief  of  their  tribe,  and  a  great  warrior.  After 
subjecting  the  other  tribes  to  his  rule,  he  determined 
on  building  himself  a  city  to  hve  in,  on  the  river 
Gila — in  Casas  Blancas.  He  commenced  operations : 
not  liking  the  situation,  or  being  somewhat  dis- 
turbed in  his  work  by  the  Apaches — the  only  tribe, 
which  had  not  submitted  to  his  rule,  joined  to  the 
bad  omens  observed  by  the  priests — he  determined 
to  travel  in  search  of  a  good  location,  favored  by  his 
gods.  At  the  time  of  commencing  his  new  journey, 
an  eagle  was  observed  to  be  hovering  over  the  camp ; 


AND   WONDEES   OF   THE   WEST.  495^ 

orders  were  given  to  observe  the  bird's  flight,  and 
its  resting  place  ascertained;  his  commands  were 
obeyed  impHcitly,  and  the  eagle  was  found  in  the 
lake  of  Mexico,  perched  on  an  opal,  with  a  rattle 
snake  in  its  beak.  Here,  Montezuma  founded  the 
city  of  Mexico,  which  would  have  remained  in  his 
possession  up  to  the  present  date,  if  Hernan  Cortez 
and  his  gallant  adventurers  had  not  disturbed  his 
calculations  in  a  most  important  manner.  Such  is 
the  tradition,  and  it  is  considered  heresy  among  the 
Opatas  not  to  beheve  it.  Eagle,  snake  and  opal  is- 
the  escutcheon  of  Mexico. 

Humboldt  mentions  in  his  travels  having  seen  the 
ruins  of  Casa  Blanca  on  the  river  Gila.  Another 
tradition  is  current  also  of  Montezuma  having  told 
the  conquerors  of  Mexico,  that  it  would  be  an  easy 
matter  for  them  to  subject  to  their  rule  the  whole 
of  the  Indian  tribes,  but  the  Apaches  never." 

These  ruins  are  found  in  various  parts  of  fche 
Territory  and  throughout  New  Mexico,  and  all 
seem  to  have  been  the  works  of  the  same  people, 
and  to  have  been  constructed  in  or  about  the  same 
period. 

Near  the  salt  lakes,  a  hundred  miles  southeast  of 
Santa  Fe,  are  the  ruins  of  an  extensive  town  or 
city.  The  explorer  there  finds  an  aqueduct  twelve 
miles  in  length,  the  walls  of  buildings,  traces  of 
streets,  and  other  features  of  interest,  landmarks  of 
a  past  age.  It  may  have  been  a  Spanish  silver  min- 
ing town.  Euins  in  Navajoe  County  include  tho 
remains  of  some  very  large  buildings,  in  which  ex- 
plorers have  found  traces  of  more  than  a  hundred 
separate  rooms  on  the  ground  floor  of  a  single 
house. 


496  LIFE   IN    THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Nearly  three  hundred  years  ago,  Spanish  mission- 
aries found,  in  New  Mexico,  half-civihzed  Indians 
who  raised  cotton,  manufactured  cloth,  and  hved  in 
towns  with  regular  streets,  squares  and  dwellings, 
like  those  of  the  present  Pueblos. 

"Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry,  of  the  United  States  army, 
found  remarkable  ruins  of  old  Pueblos  of  the  San 
Juan  Eiver,  then  in  New  Mexico,  now  in  the  south- 
west corner  of  Colorado.  One  of  these  deserted  hu- 
man bee-hives  was  inclosed  by  sand-stone  walls,  five 
hundred  feet  long,  twelve  inches  thick,  and  thirty 
feet  high.  The  marks  on  the  few  timbers,  still  pre- 
served, and  implements  found  in  the  vicinity,  indi- 
cate that  logs  and  rocks  were  split  and  hewn  with 
tools  of  hard  stone  or  obsidian.  The  huge  edifice, 
six  stories  high,  was  divided  into  small  rooms,  very 
evenly  plastered  with  gypsum. 

The  San  Juan  valley  contains  many  of  these  ruins, 
which  have  been  deserted  from  three  hundred  to 
five  hundred  years.  Once  it  swarmed  with  the  busy 
life  of  half  a  milhon  of  people,  now  it  has  no  human 
being.  Dr.  Newberry  inquired  the  reason  of  this 
from  an  old  and  intelligent  Pueblo  chief,  who  re- 
phed  that  at  the  invasion  by  Cortez,  Montezuma 
made  such  heavy  drafts  upon  the  able  bodied  men 
of  the  province  as  to  leave  old  men,  women  and 
children,  unable  to  defend  themselves  from  the 
surrounding  Utes,  Apaches  and  Navajoes,  and  com- 
pelled the  entire  population  to  emigrate  southward. 
This  theory  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  the  most 
ancient  Pueblos,  which  were  built  in  mountain  fast- 
nesses easily  defensible  against  numbers  and  valor, 
are  still  inhabited,  while  those  in  the  open  country 
^re  deserted." 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  497 

The  history  of  Arizona  is  a  constant  record  of 
border  warfare.  The  Pimas  and  Maricopas  Indians 
occupy  a  fertile  tract  on  the  Gila,  and  are  brave 
and  hospitable ;  they  live  in  villages  and  cultivate 
the  soil  with  great  success.  The  Apache  Indians, 
on  the  contrary  are  a  blood  thirsty  tribe,  who  wan- 
der from  place  to  place  without  any  fixed  habitation, 
and  are  continually  at  war  with  other  tribes,  when 
not  otherwise  engaged  in  pillage  and  murder  of 
white  men.  In  the  Territory  there  are  20,792  In- 
dians in  tribal  relations,  and  occupying  reservations 
covering  three  million  acres.  The  principal  tribes 
are  the  Pimas,  Papagoes,  Mojaves,  Yumas,  Marico- 
pas and  Apaches.  The  white  population  of  the 
Territory  does  not  exceed  thirty  thousand. 

There  are  few  railroads  in  Arizona.  The  means 
•of  communication  at  present  is  by  wagon  roads, 
which  lead  to  every  important  town.  The  South 
Pacific  Kailroad  connecting  at  Lathrop,  Cahfornia, 
with  the  main  line  of  the  Central  Pacific  Koad, 
extends  from  Goshen,  south  to  Yuma,  637  miles 
from  Lathrop,  where  it  crosses  the  Colorado  Kiver 
and  enters  Arizona,  thence  it  runs  east  through 
the  vaUey  of  the  Gila.  Between  Keene  and  Girard, 
260  miles  from  Lathrop  is  the  "  Loop " — the  only 
instance  in  railroad  construction  of  a  road  crossing 
itself. 

Arizona  has  a  good  system  of  public  schools  con- 
sidering the  vast  area  and  scattered  population. 
There  are  four  newspapers  published  in  the  Terri- 
tory. The  large  majority  of  the  people  are  Cath- 
ohcs,  but  the  Methodists  and  other  denominations 
liave  a  few  churches  in  the  principal  towns. 

88 


498  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Tucson  the  capital,  is  in  the  Santa  Cruz  Valley^ 
300  miles  east  of  Arizona  City,  on  the  overland  from 
San  Diego,  California,  to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico. 
Although  a  very  old  city  its  population  does  not 
exceed  3,500.  It  has  been  a  town  of  some  impor- 
tance, for  about  a  century.  The  Mexican  govern- 
ment had  a  mihtary  post  here,  and  it  is  now  the 
principal  place  for  the  exchange  of  commodities 
between  Arizona  and  Sonora.  The  people  of  that 
country,  bring  grain,  fruits,  tobacco  and  other  pro- 
ducts, and  exchange  them  for  goods  and  money. 
The  Teifitoral  hbrary  is  in  Tucson.  The  majority 
of  the  inhabitants  are  Mexican,  and  the  Spanish 
language  is  spoken  by  nearly  all. 

Prescott,  formerly  the  capital,  is  155  miles  east  of 
the  Colorado.  It  is  the  county  seat  of  the  county, 
and  headquarters  for  the  military  department  of 
Arizona.    It  contains  a  population  of  two  thousand^ 

Arizona  City,  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Gila  and  Colorado,  is  the  county  seat  of  Yuma 
County,  and  has  a  population  of  1,600.  It  is  the 
principal  depot  of  supplies  for  southern  Arizona. 

Ehrenburg,  140  miles  above  Arizona  City,  on  the 
Colorado,  is  a  new  and  thriving  town,  and  the  chief 
shipping  point  for  the  central  section  of  the  Ter- 
ritory. 

Florence,  Sanford,  Mineral  Park,  Hardy ville  and 
Wickenburg,  are  also  desiring  of  mention.  The 
Territory  is  very  rich  in  all  the  precious  and  most 
of  the  useful  metals,  but  the  want  of  facihties  for 
transportation  has  prevented  the  development  of 
the  mining  interests.  In  Central  Arizona  gold  is 
found,  and  both,  there  and  in  the  south,  the  moun- 


AND  WONDEBS  OF  THE  WEST.  499 

tains  contain  rich  lodes  of  gold,  silver,  copper  and 
lead.  Silver  is  found  in  the  form  of  galena  and  sul- 
phurets,  and  copper  chiefly  in  gray  sulphurets,  car- 
bonates and  oxide  of  iron,  platinum  and  quicksilver 
may  be  found  in  abundance,  but  for  lack  of  capital 
comparatively  little  mining  has  been  done. 

Immense  deposits  of  salt  of  purest  quality,  gyp- 
sum, lime  and  some  small  beds  of  coal  are  worked. 

The  prospects  for  mining  have  never  before  bfeen 
so  encouraging  as  at  the  present  time,  and  new  dis- 
coveries of  valuable  silver  lodes  are  constantly  being 
made.  With  the  construction  of  railroads  and  sup- 
pression of  Indian  troubles,  capital  will  "flow  inta 
Arizona,  and  soon  this  vast  country,  now  almost 
unknown,  will  develop  into  one  of  the  richest  min- 
ing districts  in  the  world.  Semi-official  statistics 
for  1878,  show  that  the  value  of  gold  and  silver 
bullion  in  that  year  from  the  mines  of  Arizona  was 
$2,287,983. 

A  correspondent,  writing  from  this  great  Terri- 
tory, says:  "Arizona  is  to-day,  in  embryo  the  great 
mining  empire  of  the  Pacific.  I  cannot  detail  in  a 
letter  the  mines  that  produce  their  millions,  but 
they  are  many.  The  railroads  are  coming  from  the 
west  and  east.  Their  rate  of  progress  is  three  miles 
a  day;  one  on  the  Santa  Fe,  Atchison  and  Topeka 
line,  and  two  on  the  S.  P.  E.  E.  The  gap  wiU  soon 
be  closed.  St.  Louis  will  be  the  great  commercial 
city,  with  which  we  shall  have  direct  deahngs. 
Arizona  will  score  $6,000,000  in  bulhon,  as  its  pro- 
duct for  1880. 

New  Mexico  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  popu- 
lous of  the  Territories.    It  is  situated  between  the 


•500  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

31st  and  37th  parallels  of  north  latitude,  and  the 
103d  and  109th  west  longitude ;  it  has  a  length  of 
from  three  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  and 
ninety  miles,  and  a  breadth  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-five  miles,  and  contains  121,000  square  miles. 
The  general  surface  consists  of  high  level  plateaus, 
traversed  by  ranges  of  mountains,  between  which 
are  many  wide  and  fertile  valleys ;  there  are  many 
isolated  mountain  peaks  of  great  height  in  several 
parts  of  the  Territory.     The  chief  river  is  the  Eio 
Grrande  del  Norte,  which  flows  through  the  centre. 
The  Pecos  flows  south  through  the  eastern  divi- 
vision,  and  unites  with  the  Eio  Grande  in  Texas. 
The  northeast  is  drained  by  the  Canadian,  and  the 
northwest  by  the  San  Juan  Eiver,  while  the  Gila 
and  Chiquito   Colorado  have  their  origin  in  the 
southwest.     The  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande  has  an 
elevation  of  between  5,000  and  6,000  feet,  near  the 
northern  boundary,  and  of  about  3,000  feet  at  El 
Paso.    On  each  side  of  the  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande 
and  Pecos,  the  mountains  have  a  general  altitude  of 
6,000  to  8,000  feet,  while  some  rise  far  above  the 
snow  line,  which  in  this  latitude,  is  situated  at  an 
elevation  of  about  ten  thousand  feet.    Most  of  the 
mountains  and  streams  have  a  general  direction 
north  and  south.    The  Eocky  Mountains  are  here  di- 
vided into  two  ranges,  of  which  the  eastern  contains 
the  highest  peaks,  and  extends  to  within  a  few  miles 
of  Santa  Fe.     South  of  this  range,  a  lofty  plateau 
extends  between  the  Eio  Grande  and  Pecos,  broken, 
however,  by  numerous  smaller  ranges.  In  the  west, 
the  great  range  of  the  Sierra  Madre  extends  into 
Mexico.    The  country  west  of  this  is  less  known 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  501 

than  the  eastern  region,  but  is  beheved  to  be  fertile, 
and  to  contain  great  mineral  wealth,  as  yet  entireljr 
undeveloped.  It  consists  of  numerous  and  extensive 
table  lands  or  mesas,  with  detached  ranges  of  moun- 
tains, enclosing  many  beautiful  valleys.  In  the 
extreme  southeast  is  the  Llano  Estacado,  or  Staked 
Plain,  which  covers  many  thousand  square  miles, 
and  extends  a  considerable  distance  into  Texas. 
This  consists  of  an  elevated  tract,  destitute  of  wood, 
and  alinost  entirely  unproductive.  With  this  ex- 
ception, the  land,  where  susceptible  of  irrigation, 
is  generally  valuable  for  agriculture  and  grazing. 
There  are  no  fresh- water  lakes  of  any  importance, 
but  salt  lakes,  or  salinas,  are  abundant,  particularly 
between  the  Kio  Grande  and  the  Pecos,  south  of 
Santa  Fe,  and  from  these,  large  supplies  of  salt  are 
obtained  for  the  use  of  the  Territory,  and  adjacent 
provinces  of  Mexico. 

The  great  differences  in  latitude  and  elevation 
give  rise  to  wide  variations  in  the  climate  of  the 
Territory.  The  atmosphere  is  clear  and  dry,  and 
pulmonary  and  miasmatic  complaints  are  scarcely 
known,  the  proportion  of  deaths  from  consumption 
being  smaller  than  in  any  State  or  Territory,  with 
the  exception  of  Arizona.  In  the  mountains  the 
winters  are  sometimes  severe ;  on  the  plateaus  and 
in  the  river  valleys,  especially  of  the  South,  they 
are  remarkably  mild,  the  temperature  seldom  falling 
below  the  freezing  point.  In  this  locality  the  rainy 
season  is  in  July  and  August.  The  annual  rainfall 
varies  from  ten  to  thirty  inches,  according  to  loca- 
tion. The  mean  annual  temperature  at  Santa  Fe, 
at  an  elevation  of  nearly  7,000  feet,  is  50  degrees 


502  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

Fah. ;  that  of  spring,  49  degrees,  summer,  70  de- 
grees, autumn,  50  degrees,  winter,  31  degrees  Fah. 
The  highest  temperature  recorded  was  88  degrees, 
the  lowest,  50  degrees.  The  summers  are  long  and 
warm,  hut  extreme  heat  is  rarely  experienced, 
owing  to  the  elevated  position  of  the  country  and 
frequent  hreezes. 

There  is  no  room  for  doubt  as  to  the  suitability 
of  New  Mexico  for  stock-raising  on  an  extensive 
scale,  the  pasturage  being  al3undant,  while  mesquite 
or  gramma  grass  preserves  its  nutritive  properties 
through  the  winter.  Frosts  being  almost  entirely 
unknown,  cattle  require  no  shelter,  and  the  climate 
is  even  more  favorable  for  sheep  husbandry,  which 
forms  one  of  the  chief  industries. 

The  valley  of  the  Eio  Pecos  and  Eio  Grande,  and 
of  a  number  of  the  smaller  streams  are  very  produc- 
tive. The  rainfall  being  small,  artificial  irrigation 
is  necessary,  and  many  canals  have  been  construc- 
ted. Corn,  wheat,  barley  and  oats,  are  the  principal 
crops,  and  fruits  of  all  kinds  flourish,  the  grape 
being  especially  luxuriant.  The  mountain  sides 
bear  heavy  forests  of  pine,  cedar,  spruce,  and  other 
coniferous  trees,  while  oak,  walnut,  sycamore  and 
Cottonwood  are  plentiful  in  the  South. 

Aside  from  the  products  of  her  mines,  the  exports 
of  New  Mexico  are  small,  and  the  manufactures 
are  principally  confined  to  such  articles  of  prime 
necessity,  as  flour,  sawed  lumber  and  the  hke. 
Some  of  the  water  power  afforded  by  the  rapid  run- 
ning rivers  has  been  utilized  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  but  until  the  Territory  is  opened  up  by 
railroads,  the  development  of  the  manufacturing 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.  503 

-and  commercial  interests  of  New  Mexico  must  nec- 
essarily be  slow. 

The  population  is  estimated  at  about  120,000, 
there  being  92,000  at  the  Federal  census  of  1870. 
This  is  exclusive  of  the  tribal  Indians,  of  whom 
there  were  in  1874,  over  25,000,  principally  Navajos, 
Utes  and  Apaches.  The  Pueblos,  numbering  9,000, 
occupy  nineteen  villages,  or  "pueblos"  in  the  north- 
west. They  have  been  decided  to  be  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  but  under  the  Territorial  laws 
are  not  allowed  to  vote.  They  live  in  towns  built 
of  stone  or  adobe,  and  are  widely  scattered  over  the 
Territory.  They  are  an  honest,  plodding  people, 
and  are  nearly  always  independent  of  government  in 
respect  to  material  aid.  They  raise  all  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  country,  including  fruit,  and  also  give 
much  attention  to  flocks  and  herds.  The  progress 
made  in  educating  these  Indians  during  the  last 
year,  has  been  very  satisfactory.  The  Spanish  lan- 
guage is  spoken  by  a  majority  of  the  people,  most 
of  whom  are  of  Mexican  descent.  The  government 
is  similar  to  that  of  other  Territories.  A  free  pub- 
lic school  system  was  inaugurated  in  1871,  and  has 
since  been  extended  throughout  the  Territory. 
There  are  160  Catholic  churches  and  a  few  Protest- 
ant organizations,  and  twelve  newspapers  are  pub- 
Hshed.  Taxation  is  light,  and  there  is  no  Territorial 
debt. 

Santa  Fe,  the  capital  and  most  important  city,  is 
situated  on  the  banks  of  Santa  Fe  Creek,  an  afflu- 
ent of  the  Eio  Grande,  and  is  about  275  miles  south 
by  west  of  Denver,  Colorado.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest 
towns  on  the  American  continent,  and  when  first 


504  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

visited  by  the  Spaniards,  in  1542,  was  a  populous: 
Indian  pueblo.  The  exact  date  of  the  first  Spanish 
settlement  has  not  been  preserved,  but  Santa  Fe 
became  the  capital  of  New  Mexico  in  1640.  It  was 
captured  and  partially  destroyed  by  the  Indians  in 
1680,  and  retaken  by  the  Spaniards  fourteen  years 
later.  In  1837,  another  attack  was  made  by  the  In- 
dians, who  were  repulsed  with  great  loss,  and  in 
1846,  the  United  States  troops  occupied  it.  During 
the  Civil  War,  the  Confederate  forces  took  the  city, 
but  were  forced  to  evacuate  it  after  an  occupancy 
of  thirty  days.  At  present,  it  consists  of  a  number 
of  irregularly  built  streets  of  adobe  houses,  mostly 
of  one  story  only.  The  principal  business  houses 
are  grouped  round  the  public  square,  where  also  is 
the  old  '^Palace,"  containing  the  Legislative  Hall,, 
Court  rooms,  and  the  G-overnor's  mansion.  The 
population  is  about  5,000,  of  whom  four-fifths  are  of" 
Spanish  and  Mexican  origin,  and  speak  the  Spanish 
language.  There  is  an  old  cathedral  of  peculiar 
architecture,  and  a  new  one  has  been  constructed 
in  connection  with  this.  A  few  Protestant  denom- 
inations maintain  missions  here.  There  is  a  tele- 
graphic communication  with  Denver,  and  stage 
lines  run  daily  to  Trinidad  and  Las  Animas,  and 
to  the  more  important  towns  of  Arizona.  Santa  Fe 
is  the  centre  of  supplies  for  a  very  large  district,  and 
a  large  trade  is  carried  on. 

The  most  pressing  need  of  New  Mexico  at  this, 
time  is  railroads.  With  much  fertile  soil  and  im- 
mense mineral  wealth,  the  growth  of  the  Territory 
has  been  retarded  by  the  lack  of  means  of  access- 
and  in^^-^-communication.    It  is  believed  that  before- 


AND  WONDEKS  OF  THE  WEST.         505 

long,  this  want  will  be  supplied,  and  the  country- 
opened  up  by  several  lines  of  railroad. 

The  chief  mineral  wealth  of  this  rich  Territory  i& 
contained  in  its  gold  and  silver  mines,  some  of  which 
have  been  worked  since  remote  times.  The  earliest 
Spanish  discoverers  found  such  convincing  proofs 
of  the  richness  of  the  gold  and  silver  deposits,  that 
they  gave  to  the  country  its  present  name,  from  the 
resemblance  to  the  mineral  regions  of  old  Mexico. 
Throughout  the  periods  of  the  Spanish  and  Mexican 
occupancy,  the  precious  metals  were  worked,  and 
even  with  the  rude  appliances  and  desultory  methods 
of  those  peoples,  wonderful  results  were  obtained. 

The  chief  gold  fields  now  operated  are  those  of 
Colfax,  Grant,  Santa  Fe  and  Bernallilo  Counties, 
and  of  the  Carrizo,  Sierra  Blanca,  Patos,  Jicarilla 
and  Magdalena  Mountains,  but  these  are  only  a  few 
of  the  many  regions  in  which  gold  is  known  to  exist. 
So  far,  little  more  than  the  placers  have  been 
touched,  while  the  great  resources  of  the  quartz 
lodes  still  await  the  advent  of  machinery,  capital, 
and,  above  all,  well-directed  labor.  The  census  of 
1870  returned  seventeen  gold  mines,  of  which  five 
were  quartz  lodes,  with  an  invested  capital  of  over 
$2,380,000. 

Having  visited  every  State  and  Territory  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  the  object  of  our  expedition  was 
accomplished ;  and  from  Santa  Fe  we  returned  to 
St.  Louis.  Although  we  had  travelled  over  many 
thousands  of  miles,  by  every  means  of  conveyance, 
and  had  experienced  the  fatigue,  exposure  and  pri- 
vations incident  to  so  long  a  journey,  not  one  of 
the  company  had  suffered  from  illness  for  a  day. 


506  LIEE   IN   THE    WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

Surely  there  is  no  prophylactic  against  physical  ills 
so  effective  as  pure  air  and  plain  regimen.  At  St. 
Louis,  our  party  separated,  with  mutual  regrets, — 
our  English  friends  returning  to  Europe,  carrying 
with  them  notes  and  sketches  which  may  in  time 
reach  many  American  readers,  and  with  the  con- 
viction in  which  we  all  concur  that  Uncle  Sam's 
farm  is  somewhat  extensive — and  rather  more  so 
than  the  general  public  suppose. 

'  'I  hear  the  tread^of  pioneers, 

Of  nations  yet  to  be, 
The  first  low  wash  of  waves,  where  soon 

Shall  roll  a  human  sea. 
The  elements  of  empire  here 

Are  plastic  yet  and  warm, 
And  the  chaos  of  a  mighty  world 

Is  rounding  into  form; 
Each  rude  and  jostling  fragment  soon 

Its  fitting  place  shall  find 
The  raw  material  of  a  State, 

Its  muscles  and  its  mind." 


AND  WONDERS   OF  THE  WEST.  507 


CHAPTEE  XXXIII. 

Alaska — Its  Extent — Climate — Sitka — The  Yukon  Eiver — a  "  Yosemite 
Valley  "  in  Alaska — A  Wonderful  Region — Grand  and  Beautiful 
Scenery — The  Grand  Canon— A  Magnificent  View — The  Largest 
Glacier  on  the  Globe — Description  of  the  Various  Parts  of  the  Ter- 
ritory— Intense  Heat  in  Summer — Luxuriant  Vegetation — Forests 
— Gorgeous  Flowers— Aborigines  of  North  America — Manners,  Cus- 
toms, and  Traditions  of  the  Natives  of  Alaska. 

Thirteen  years  ago  the  United  States  purchased 
of  Russia,  the  vast  region  in  the  northwest,  desig- 
nated upon  our  old  maps  as  ''Russian  Possessions," 
and  upon  those  of  later  construction,  as  Alaska, 
paying  therefor  the  sum  of  seven  million  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  It  was  thought  by  many — 
perhaps  the  majority  of  the  people  of  the  Union — 
that  Secretary  Seward  had  paid  enormously  dear  for 
the  Territory  of  ''frozen  land  and  glaciers,  inter- 
mingled with  numberless  volcanoes  and  hot  springs," 
for  the  cold,  bleak  and  barren  region  would  be  of 
little  value  to  the  country.  But  it  appears,  as  the 
result  of  the  most  careful  exploration  and  investi- 
gation, that  the  popular  supposition  is  erroneous. 
The  sole  purpose  for  which  the  Russians  ever  ex- 
plored the  Territory,  was  to  obtain  furs,  and,  that 
in  this,  they  were  successful,  will  appear  from  the 
fact  that  the  fur  trade  alone,  of  Alaska,  is  now 
worth  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars  annually. 
During  the  last  nine  years,  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment has  received,  for  the  rental  of  the  Seal 
Islands — St.  George  and  St.  Paul — the  sum  of  two 
and  a  half  miUion  doUars.     These  islands  furnish 


508  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

the  world  with  the  greater  portion  of  its  supply  of 
furs.  There  is  no  reason  why  Alaska,  comprising 
more  than  half  a  million  square  miles,  may  not  be- 
come densely  populated  with  a  hardy  and  intelli- 
gent people. 

The  Territory  of  Alaska  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  the  Arctic  Ocean,  on  the  east  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Territory,  and  on  the  south  and  west  by  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  Behring  Sea  and  Strait.  Its  general 
climate  is  not  unlike  that  of  England,  and  much 
warmer  than  might  be  supposed,  in  view,  only,  of 
its  high  latitude,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  warm 
ocean  stream — like  the  Gulf  Stream  of  the  Atlantic 
— the  influence  of  which  is  felt  along  the  entire 
northwest  coast  of  America.  It  appears  from  ther- 
mometrical  observations,  taken  at  Sitka  for  the  last 
forty-five  years,  that  its  winter  climate  is  no  more 
severe  than  that  of  Ohio  or  Kentucky.  Only  four 
times  within  the  forty-five  years  did  the  mercury 
fall  below  zero,  and  the  severest  cold  w^as  only  four 
below.  In  Minnesota,  it  is  not  unusual  in  wdnter,, 
for  the  mercury  to  sink  ten  or  fifteen  below  zero. 

At  Sitka,  such  vegetables  as  require,  in  our  lati- 
tude, only  a  part  of  the  summer  to  reach  maturity, 
flourish.  The  smaller  fruits  and  berries  mature  and 
ripen.  The  region  about  Sitka,  and  especially  south 
of  that  town,  abounds  in  dense  forests  of  large  trees. 

Sitka  was  formerly  the  capital  of  the  Kussian 
colonies  in  America;  here,  the  Governor  had  his 
residence.  It  is  by  no  means  a  large  town,  but  on 
the  contrary,  is  very  small,  containing  not  over  two 
hundred  buildings ;  the  Governor's  house,  the  Greek 
church  and  the  large  store  houses  being  especially 


AND    WONDEKS    OF   THE   WEST.  509 

noticeable.  The  houses  are  chiefly  built  of  lo^s, 
und  painted  a  dull  yellow ;  the  metal  roofs  are  red ; 
hence  the  town  presents  a  quaint  but  picturesque 
appearance,  when  viewed  from  the  harbor,  being 
wholly  unlike  any  other  on  the  continent.  The 
moisture  of  the  climate  renders  Sitka  a  disagreeable 
locahty  for  a  residence.  The  numerous  little  islands, 
with  which  the  bay  is  studded,  are  clothed  with 
forests,  which  extend  to  the  water's  edge. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  this  country,  and 
the  Canadian  Methodists,  have  estabhshed  Missions 
at  Sitka  and  Fort  Wrangell. 

The  greater  part  of  Alaska  is  further  south  than 
either  Norway  or  Sweden,  and  Sitka  is  in  the  lati- 
tude of  Aberdeen,  Scotland.  The  Aleutian  Islands 
— a  part  of  Alaska — extend  southward  into  the  Pa- 
cific more  than  a  thousand  miles,  the  southern 
islands  of  the  archipelago  being  about  the  latitude 
of  London. 

The  Pacific  watershed  of  Alaska,  is  much  smaller 
than  that  of  Behring  Sea.  The  mountains  approach 
<3losely  to  the  sea  shore,  and  the  water  of  the  rivers 
is  collected  far  inland,  and  forces  its  way  to  the  sea 
through  a  narrow  pass  or  perpendicular  canon.  Upon 
these  lofty  summits  much  of  the  rain-fall  is  con- 
gealed, and  as  a  glacier  torrent,  reaches  the  sea  by 
slow  degrees. 

The  head  waters  of  the  Yukon  Eiver  were  known 
to  the  traders  and  trappers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  ter- 
ritory early  in  this  century.  In  1837,  a  Russian 
explored  the  delta  of  the  Yukon,  and  ascended  the 
river  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Anvic  River.  Ten 
years  later,  Mr.  Murray  descended  the  Porcupine 


510  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

and  founded  the  trading  post  of  Fort  Yukon.  Tlie 
river  cuts  through  the  great  bend  of  the  Eocky 
Mountains,  and  flows  through  a  canon  of  vast  pro- 
portions and  subhmity.  It  is  narrow,  deep  and 
very  swift,  but  gradually  widens,  and  in  its  broadest 
extent  is  studded  with  little  islands.  The  scenery 
along  its  course  is  wild  and  picturesque.  Its  banks 
are  liilly  and  clothed  with  dense  forests,  in  which 
moose,  deer  and  other  large  game  may  be  found  in 
great  numbers. 

The  water  of  the  Yukon  above  the  mouth  of  the 
White  Eiver  is  clear  and  dark;  the  color  of  the 
latter  stream  is  much  hghter,  and  for  a  very  long 
distance  these  currents^ flow  side  by  side  without 
mixing,  but  finally  unite,  and  the  Yukon  as  it  ap- 
proaches the  sea  becomes  very  dark.  The  river  is- 
navigable. 

The  second  largest  river  of  Alaska  is  the  Stikine^ 
which  has  become  better  known  than  any  other, 
from  the  gold  diggings  on  its  banks ;  these  are  aU 
situated  in  British  Territory. 

It  is  about  350  or  400  miles  long,  and  navigable 
for  small  steamers  to  Glenora,  150  miles,  flowing 
first  in  a  general  westerly  direction,  through  grassy^ 
undulating  plains,  darkened  here  and  there  with 
patches  of  evergreens,  then  curving  southward,  and 
receiving  numerous  tributaries  from  the  north,  it 
enters  the  Coast  Kange  and  sweeps  across  it  to  the 
sea,  through  a  Yosemite  Valley,  more  than  a  thous- 
and miles  long,  and  from  one  to  three  miles  wide  at 
the  bottom,  and  from  five  thousand  to  eight  thous- 
and feet  deep,  marvelously  beautiful  and  inspiring 
from  end  to  end.     To  the^appreciative  tourist,  sail- 


512  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMERICA, 

ing  up  the  river  through  the  midst  of  it  all,  the  canon 
for  a  distance  of  over  a  hundred  miles,  is  a  gallery 
of  sublime  pictures,  an  unbroken  series  of  majestic 
mountains,  glaciers,  falls,  cascades,  forests,  groves, 
flowery  garden  spots,  grassy  meadows  in  endless 
variety  of  form  and  composition — furniture  enough 
for  a  dozen  Yosemites — while  back  of  the  walls, 
and  thousands  of  feefc  above  them,  innumerable 
peaks  and  spires  and  domes  of  ice  and  snow,  tower 
grandly  to  the  sky. 

About  fifteen  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
you  come  to  the  first  of  the  great  glaciers,  pouring 
down  through  the  forests  in  a  shattered  ice  cascade, 
nearly  to  the  level  of  the  river.  Here  the  canon  is 
about  two  miles  wide,  planted  with  cottonwoods 
along  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  spruce  and  fir  and 
patches  of  wild  rose  and  raspberry  extend  back  to 
the  grand  Yosemite  walls.  Twelve  miles  above 
this  point,  a  magnificent  view  is  opened  along  the 
Skoot  River  Canon — a  group  of  glacier-laden  Alps 
from  10,000  to  12,000  feet  high,  the  source  of  the 
largest  tributary  of  the  Stikine. 

Thirty-five  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
the  most  striking  object  of  all  comes  in  sight.  This 
is  the  lower  expanded  portion  of  the  great  glacier, 
measuring  about  six  miles  around,  the  snout  pushed 
boldly  forward  into  the  middle  of  the  valley  among 
the  trees,  while  its  sources  are  mostly  hidden.  It 
takes  its  rise  in  the  heart  of  the  range,  some  thirty 
or  forty  miles  away.  Compared  with  this,  the  Swiss 
Trier  de  glace  is  quite  insignificant.  It  is  called  the 
^'Ice  Mountain,"  and  seems  to  have  been  regarded 
a;S  a  motionless  mass,  created  on  the  spot,  hke  the 


AND   WONDEKS    OF    THE   WEST.  513 

rocks  and  trees  about,  without  a  question  as  to 
how  or  when.  The  front  of  the  snout  is  about  three 
hundred  feet  high,  but  rises  rapidly  back  for  a  few 
miles  to  a  height  of  about  a  thousand  feet.  Seen 
through  gaps  in  the  trees  growing  on  one  of  its 
terminal  moraines,  as  one  sails  slowly  against  the 
ourrent,  the  marvelous  beauty  of  the  chasms  and 
clustered  pinnacles  presents  a  scene  of  wondrous 
beauty  as  the  sunshine  glitters  upon  it. 

The  high  mountains  of  Alaska  are  all  south  of  la- 
titude sixty-five.  The  St.  Elias,  or  Coast  Range, 
contains  the  highest  peaks  and  most  of  the  vol- 
canoes of  the  Territory.  This  great  mountain  chain 
extends  along  the  northwest  coast,  from  California 
to  the  peninsular  of  Alaska.  In  longitude  142  west, 
it  merges  with  the  ranges,  which  join  it  from  the 
north  and  east,  forming  the  Alaskan  Range. 

Alaska  may  be  considered  agriculturally  as  three 
districts,  each  differing  from  the  others  in  its  climate, 
vegetation  and  physical  characteristics.  The  first 
and  most  northern  of  these  divisions,  which  may  be 
designated  as  the  Yukon  country,  is  bounded  on  the 
north  and  west  by  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  Behring 
Sea,  on  the  east  by  the  British  boundary  line,  and 
on  the  south  by  the  Alaskan  Mountains. 

The  second,  or  middle  division,  which  may  be 
termed  the  Aleutian  district,  includes  that  part  of 
the  peninsular  of  Alaska,  and  all  the  islands  west  of 
the  155th  degree  of  longitude. 

The  third,  or  southernmost,  which  may  be  called 
the  Sitkan  district,  includes  all  our  possessions  on 
the  main  land,  and  islands,  south  and  east  of  the 
peninsular  of  Alaska. 


514  LIFE    IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

The  character  of  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Yukon  River,  varies  from  low,  roUing  and  some- 
what rocky  hills,  usually  easy  of  ascent,  to  broad 
and  rather  marshy  plains,  extending  for  miles  on 
either  side  of  the  river,  especially  near  the  mouth. 
Of  course,  there  are  no  roads,  except  an  occasional 
trail,  hardly  noticeable  except  to  a  voyage ur.  The 
Yukon  and  its  tributaries  form  the  great  highways- 
of  the  country.  The  soil  is  usually  frozen  at  a  depth 
of  three  or  four  feet  in  ordinary  situations.  In  colder 
localities,  it  is  frozen  to  within  a  foot  or  two  of  the 
surface.  This  layer  of  frozen  soil  is  from  six  to 
eight  feet  thick;  below  that  depth  there  is  no  ice,, 
except  in  greatly  exposed  localities. 

'^In  places,  where  the  soil  is  well  drained,  and  not 
covered  with  moss,  as  in  the  large  alluvial  deposits 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  I  have  noticed,"  says 
the  writer  quoted,  "that  the  frozen  layer  is  much 
further  below  the  surface,  and  in  many  places  ap- 
pears even  to  be  entirely  wanting.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  in  favorable  situations,  by  draining  and  deep 
ploughing,  the  ice  could,  in  the  course  of  time,  be 
wholly  removed  from  the  soil." 

The  lesson,  we  may  learn  from  this  curious  for- 
mation, is  that  a  healthy  and  luxuriant  vegetation 
may  exist  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  permanent 
ice, — a  lesson  taught  also  by  the  luxuriant  trees  and 
hardy  vegetation,  even  up  to  and  above  the  snow 
Hne  on  the  Sierra  Nevadas  in  California,  and  every- 
where upon  the  Rocky  Mountains.  So  in  Alaska,  in 
the  vicinity  of  permanent  ice,  vegetation  flourishes, 
bears  its  blossoms  and  matures  its  seeds,  as  readily 
as  in  situations  apparently  more  highly  favored. 


AND   WONDEES    OF   THE   WEST.  515 

The  climate  of  the  Yukon  country  in  the  interior 
— and  so,  throughout  Alaska — differs  from  that  of 
the  sea  coast.  That  of  the  coast  is  tempered  by  the 
waters  of  the  Behring  Sea,  and  many  southern  cur- 
rents bringing  warmer  water  from  the  Pacific,  thus 
giving  to  the  winter  on  the  coast,  a  far  greater 
degree  of  mildness  than  in  the  far  interior,  or  even 
thirty  miles  away  from  the  ocean;  this  too,  without 
any  high  mountain  range  acting  as  a  bar  to  the 
progress  of  warm  winds.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
summers  are  cooler  and  less  pleasant  than  those  of 
the  interior,  owing  to  the  quantity  of  rain  and  cloudy 
weather.  The  months  of  May,  June  and  a  part  of 
July  are  delightful,  being  warm  and  clear  with 
almost  perpetual  sunshine.  A  luxuriant  growth  of 
herbage  springs  up  almost  as  soon  as  the  snow  has 
disappeared,  and  the  spots  which  a  few  days  before 
presented  only  a  mantle  of  snow,  are  teeming  with 
thrifty  vegetation,  producing  leaves,  flowers  and 
fruits  in  rapid  succession. 

Even  during  the  long  Arctic  day,  the  plants  have 
their  period  of  sleep,  short,  though  as  plainly  marked 
as  in  the  tropics,  and  indicated  by  precisely  the- 
same  phenomena — the  drooping  of  the  leaves  and 
other  conditions  noticeable  in  milder  climates. 

The  real  opportunity  for  agricultural  enterprise  in 
any  region,  cannot  be  deduced  from  the  annual 
mean  temperature  alone,  but  it  is  dependent  upon 
the  heat  of  the  summer  months,  and  the  duration 
of  the  summer. 

"  At  Fort  Yukon"  says  Dall,  "  I  have  seen  the 
thermometer  at  noon,  not  in  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun,  standing  at  112  degrees,  and  I  was  informed  by 


516 

the  commander  of  the  post,  that  several  spirit  ther- 
mometers graduated  up  to  120  degrees,  had  burst 
under  the  scorching  sun  of  the  Arctic  midsummer ; 
which  can  only  be  thoroughly  appreciated  by  one 
who  has  endured  it.  In  midsummer,  on  the  upper 
Yukon,  the  only  relief  from  the  intense  heat  under 
which  the  vegetation  attains  an  almost  tropical 
luxuriance,  is  the  brief  space  during  which  the  sun 
hovers  over  the  northern  horizon,  and  the  voyageur 
in  his  canoe  blesses  the  transient  coolness  of  the 
midnight  air." 

The  valley  of  the  Lower  Yukon  is  somewhat 
foggy  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer ;  but  as  we 
ascend  the  river,  the  climate  improves,  and  the 
short  summer  at  Fort  Yukon  is  dry,  hot  and  pleas- 
ant, varied  only  by  an  occasional  shower  of  rain. 
The  Yukon  country  is  abundantly  supplied  with 
timber;  even  the  coasts  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  are 
strewn  with  trees  brought  down  by  the  Yukon. 
The  white  spruce  is  the  largest  and  the  most  valu- 
able tree  growing  in  this  region.  The  beautiful  coni- 
fer is  found  all  over  the  country,  a  short  distance  in- 
land, but  the  largest  and  most  thrifty  of  these  trees 
are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  running  water.  It  often 
grows  to  the  height  of  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  feet, 
with  a  diameter  of  over  three  feet ;  but  the  usual 
size  is  not  much  over  half  these  dimensions.  The 
wood  is  white,  close  and  straight  grained,  easily 
worked,  hght,  yet  very  tough — even  more  so  than 
the  Oregon  pine.  It  is  not  large  enough  for  masts 
of  vessels,  but  is  superior  to  any  other  tree  for 
spars.  Near  Fort  Yukon,  the  trees  are  smaller  but 
large  enough  for  most  purposes. 


AND   WONDERS    OF   THE   WEST.  517 

The  birch  is  next  iu  importance.  It  grows  to  the 
height  of  about  forty  feet,  with  a  diameter  of  a 
foot  and  a-half .  Several  species  of  poplar  abound. 
One  variety  attains  the  height  of  from  forty  to  sixty 
feet,  having  a  diameter  of  three  feet.  Willows  and 
alders  are  the  most  abundant  of  Alaskan  trees.  Of 
the  former,  all  sizes  may  be  found,  from  the  slender 
variety  on  the  Lower  Yukon,  which  grows  seventy 
or  eighty  feet  high,  yet  only  six  inches  in  diameter, 
and  with  a  mere  wisp  of  straggling  branches  at  the 
extreme  tip,  to  the  dw^arf  willows  of  the  Arctic 
coast,  crawling  under  the  moss  with  a  stem  not 
larger  thah  your  pencil,  and  sending  "up  shoots  only 
a  few  inches  in  height. 

In  Spring  time,  the  treeless  coasts,  as  well  as  the 
low  lands,  fairly  glitter  with  a  profusion  of  flowers 
amid  luxuriant  growth  of  verdure. 

The  greater  number  of  clear  and  pleasant  days 
occur  in  January,  February  and  June,  and  usually 
follow  a  north  wind. 

"  It  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  make  a  comparison 
between  this  portion  of  Alaska  and  a  very  similar 
country.  Which  has,  however,  been  for  centuries  un- 
dei  cultivation.  I  refer  to  the  Highlands  of  Scotland 
and  the  adjacent  islands,  whose  Scotch  mists  have 
become  proverbial.  Dr.  Graham  of  Aberfoyle,  re- 
ferring to  the  western  district  of  Scotland,  says  that 
Ayreshire  is  very  moist  and  damp,  with  a  mild  and 
temperate  climate.  Kenfrewshire  is  visited  with 
frequent  and  heavy  rains.  Dunbartonshire  has  the 
same  character.  Argyllshire  is  considered  the  most 
rainy  county  of  Scotland. 

The  vapors  of  the  Ocean  are  attracted  by  its  lofty 


518  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

mountains,  and  the  clouds  discharge  themselves  in 
torrents  on  the  valleys.  The  winters  are  for  the 
most  part,  mild  and  temperate,  but  the  summers  are 
frequently  rainy  and  cold. 

This  description  would  answer  very  well  for  the 
most  rainy  portions  of  Alaska. 

Indeed,  even  in  Iceland,  where  the  temperature 
in  winter  is  sometimes  thirty-five  below  zero,  we 
learn  from  Sir  George  MacKenzie,  that  four-fifths 
of  the  entire  population  of  seventy  thousand,  derive 
their  maintenance  from  agriculture. 

The  aborigines  of  North  America  are  naturally 
divided  into  two  great  groups,  one  comprising  the 
natives  known  under  the  name  of  Indians,  the  other, 
comprising  the  tribes  of  Innuits,  Aleutians  and 
Asiatic  Eskimos,  adopting  the  nomenclature  of  Dall 
are  Orarians — dwellers  upon  the  sea-coasts.  Gen. 
Erisbin,  in  supporting  the  theory  that  the  Indians 
are  of  Asiatic  origin,  says : — 

'^ Perhaps,  the  strongest  proof  that  our  Indians 
are  from  Asia,  is  in  the  fact  that  the  nomadic  tribes 
of  Alaska,  are  related  to  the  Kamschatcans,  and  even 
now  pass  and  repass  Behring  Straits.  A  tribe  has 
lately  been  found  in  Alaska,  speaking  the  Kam- 
schatka;  and  still  further,  as  if  to  remove  all 
obstacles  to  the  belief  that  the  North  American  In- 
dian is  from  Asia,  I  am  assured,  many  tribes  on  both 
sides  of  the  straits  are  identical  in  manners,  habits 
and  customs. 

"  It  can  be  satisfactorily  proved,  our  Indians  are 
Asiatic^,  by  th^ir  similarity  of  features  and  com- 
plexions; similarity  of  languages;  of  religion;  of 
dress  and  ornaments ;  of  marriages ;  of  methods  of 


520  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OP   AMERICA, 

making  war ;  of  dances ;  of  sacrifices ;  of  funeral 
rites ;  of  festivals  and  beliefs  concerning  dreams ;  of 
games ;  of  practice  in  naming  children ;  of  dwellings ; 
and  by  similarity  in  form  of  government." 

The  winter-houses  of  the  Alaska  natives  are  built 
on  the  most  exposed  locahties,  that  the  wind  may 
drive  away  the  snow.  Whale  ribs  are  erected  in  a 
circle,  while  turf  is  piled  up  around  them  for  two  or 
three  feet,  and  the  whole  is  covered  wdth  walrus 
hide.  The  latter  is  oiled,  to  render  it  translucent, 
and  therefore  no  windows  are  required  for  the  ad- 
mission of  light.  These  primitive  houses  are  divided 
into  rooms  by  skins,  as  the  cotton  houses  of  Cah- 
fornia  were  divided  in  the  days  of  '49.  Their  boats 
are  so  constructed  that  the  cargo  is  kept  quite  dry, 
and  seal  skins  are  inflated  and  attached  to  the 
gunwale  as  floats,  so  that  it  is  almost  impossible  for 
the  boat  to  be  swamped;  with  these  boats  they 
make  long  voyages  to  distant  islands.  They  are 
generally  hospitable,  good-humored,  but  hot  always 
trust-worthy. 

The  natives  generally  are  of  hght  complexion, 
hke  all  Orarians.  They  are  of  medium  height,  but  ap- 
pear shorter  than  they  are,  from  their  peculiar  dress, 
which  if  not  graceful,  admits  of  the  greatest  freedom 
of  the  wearer.  The  Aleuts  are  of  light  complexion, 
with  coarse  black  hair  and  thin  features,  perhaps 
from  the  admixture  of  Eusstan  blood,  are  more  in- 
telligent and  agreeable  than  of  other  tribes.  In 
stature  they  are  perhaps  above  the  average  height 
of  civilized  races.  Their  form  is  somewhat  stoop- 
ing and  their  hmbs  ill-shaped.  The  women  are 
shorter,  but  of  greater  symmetry  and  many  of  them^ 
are  pleasing  in  appearance. 


AND   WONDERS   OF   THE   WEST. 


521 


CHAPTEK  XXXIY. 

The  Great  Glaciers  of  Alaska — The  Remains  of  Extinct  Species — The 
Glaciers  sent  to  Market — The  Fur  Trade — The  Animals  Hunted  by 
the  Natives — The  Modes  of  Capture — Driving  a  Flock  of  Seals, 
Etc.,  Etc. 


~tf^^-*<^^ 


During  the  glacial  peri- 
od, there  existed  a  differ- 
ent class  of  animals  from 
those  which  now  inhabit 
this  region.  The  elephant 
roamed  over  the  regions  of 
North  America  and  Asia. 
Later,  the  reindeer  and 
musk-ox  followed  tlie  Arc- 
tic vegetation,  as  it  ex- 
tended southward.  Then 
the  north-eastern  portion 
of  the  country,  now  popu- 
lous portions  of  the  United 
States,  was  covered,  as 
Greenland  is  at  present, 
with  a  continuous  sheet 


of  ice.     Science  has  not  satisfactorily  defined  the 
•extent  of  this  glacial  covering. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Yukon,  the  remains  of  the 
elephant  are  everywhere  found  on  the  surface,  ex- 
cept when  buried  by  the  action  of  the  rivers ;  these 
remains  are  completely  fossihzed,  and  destitute  of 
animal  matter,  except  in  the  very  interior  of  the 
tusks,  while  the  bones  of  the  musk-ox,  found  in  sim- 


522  LIFE  IN   THE   WILDS   OF  AMEEICA, 

ilar  localities,  still  retain  an  animal  odor,  and  some- 
times even  slight  remnants  of  the  sinews. 

During  the  period  of  most  intense  cold,  large 
glaciers  were  formed  in  the  gorges  and  ravines  of 
the  Coast  Kanges.  As  the  climate  became  warmer^ 
they  diminished  in  size,  and  most  of  the  glaciers  in 
the  extreme  southern  region  of  the  country  disap- 
peared entirely.  From  Bute  Inlet  to  Unimak  Pass, 
almost  every  deep  gorge  of  considerable  size,  be- 
tween the  high  mountains,  for  which  this  coast  is 
so  remarkable,  has  at  his  head  a  glacier  or  the  re- 
mains of  one.  Some  of  these  are  of  wonderful  size 
and  grandeur. 

The  ice,  broken  from  their  overhanging  cliffs,  has 
given  rise  to  the  names  "Icy  Strait"  and  "Icy 
Bay,"  etc.,  and  lesser  fragments,  concealed  by  the 
adherent  mud  and  rocks,  were  in  numerous  instances 
mistaken  by  the  earlier  navigators  for  permanent 
rocks. 

It  is  evident  that  the  greater  number  of  glaciers 
are  gradually  decreasing  in  size,  and  that  the  climate 
is  becoming  drier  and  warmer.  The  glaciers  of 
Bute  Inlet  and  the  Stikine  have  receded  to  a  very 
considerable  extent,  leaving  their  tracks  unmistak- 
able. The  erosive  action  of  the  glaciers  is  com- 
paratively small. 

From  some  of  these  wonderful  formations,  issue 
streams  of  water,  nearly  pure,  and  they  do  not  give 
rise  to  any  very  extensive  shoals  off  the  coast. 

It  is  almost  a  certainty  that  the  whole  of  the  pen- 
insular portion  of  Alaska,  west  of  the  150th  degree  of 
longitude  is  gradually  undergoing  elevation.  This 
rise  is  occasionally  accelerated  by  volcanic  action, 
in  regions  of  hmited  extent. 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.         52d 

Remarkable  hot  and  mineral  springs  are  very 
numerous  in  Alaska.  Gold,  silver  and  copper  occur 
in  some  parts  of  the  Territory,  but  probably  not  in 
great  quantities;  amethysts  are  not  uncommon  in 
veins  of  quartz.  Fossil  ivory  has  been  found,  but 
it  has  little  if  any  commercial  value.  The  reports 
which  have  been  published  concerning  it  are  gen- 
erally the  wildest  exaggerations.  The  Russian 
American  Company  has  long  maintained  a  very 
profitable  trade  in  ice.  At  times  vessels  laden  with 
ice,  from  several  of  the  glaciers,  have  found  a  pro- 
fitable market  southward.  The  value  of  ice  sent  to 
California  in  1868,  was  $28,000. 

The  fur  trade  of  Alaska  has  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury been  widely  known.  The  furs  of  that  region 
first  led  to  its  exploration  and  settlement,  and  the 
history  of  the  trade  is  the  history  of  the  country. 
Dall  gives  us  some  interesting  facts  concerning 
the  fur  bearing  animals  and  the  modes  of  hunting 
them. 

The  sea  otter  is  a  very  large  animal;  its  fur  is 
soft  and  black,  while  long  hairs  tipped  with  white, 
add  to  its  beauty.  When  the  skin  is  properly  re- 
moved, the  pelt  is  of  an  oval  form. 

The  fur-seal  fishery,  formerly  less  important  than 
that  of  the  sea  otter,  has  of  late  years  far  exceeded 
it  in  value.  The  fur-seals  and  sea-hons  are  closely 
allied,  forming  the  family  Otariidoe.  They  are  well 
distinguished  from  the  hair- seals  (Phocidoe)  by  their 
external  ears  and  long  flippers  destitute  of  hair, 
and  with  only  three  nails.  The  hair-seals  have  no 
external  ears,  and  their  flippers  are  broad,  short, 
and  covered  with  hair,  having  five  nails  on  the  hind 


524 

ones.  The  Alaskan  fur-seal  formerly  extended  from 
the  ice  line  of  Behring  Sea,  to  the  coast  of  Lower 
California. 

A  number  of  Aleuts  go  along  the  water's  edge, 
and,  getting  between  the  animals  and  the  water,, 
shout  and  wave  their  sticks.  The  seals  are  very 
timid,  and  always  follow  each  other  like  sheep ;  yet, 
if  brought  to  bay,  they  will  fight  bravely.  A  man, 
who  should  venture  into  the  midst  of  a  herd,  would 
doubtless  be  torn  in  pieces,  for  their  teeth,  though 
small,  are  exceedingly  sharp. 

A  body  of  four  or  five  hundred  having  been  sep- 
arated, as  above,  from  the  main  assembly,  they  can 
be  driven  very  slowly,  by  two  men,  into  the  interior 
of  the  island,  exactly  as  a  shepherd  would  drive  his 
sheep.  Their  docility  depends  on  circumstances. 
If  the  sun  is  out,  and  the  grass  dry,  they  cannot  be 
driven  at  all.  If  the  day  is  wet,  and  the  grass 
sufficiently  moist,  they  may  be  driven  several  miles. 
Every  two  or  three  minutes,  they  must  be  allowed 
to  rest.  Those,  who  become  tired,  are  killed  and 
skinned  on  the  spot,  as  it  is  of  no  use  to  attempt  to 
drive  them  then.  They  would  at  once  attack  the 
driver,  and  perhaps  seriously  injure  him.  When 
the  seals  have  been  brought  to  a  suitable  place, 
they  are  left  with  some  one  to  watch  them,  until  it 
is  desired  to  kill  them. 

The  principal  fur-bearing  animals,  which  are  not 
marine  in  their  habits,  are  the  fox,  marten,  mink, 
beaver,  otter,  lynx,  black  bear,  and  wolverine.  Be- 
sides these,  the  skins  of  the  whistler,  marmot,  rein- 
deer, mountain  sheep  and  goat,  wolf,  musk-rat,  and 
ermine,  have  a  certain  value,  though  hardly  to  be 
classed  as  furs. 


ANDWONDEKS    OF    THE   WEST.  525 

The  foxes  are  of  several  varieties.  The  stone 
foxes  are  blue,  gray  and  white;  the  red  fox  is  found 
of  various  colors,  known  as  silver,  black,  cross,  and 
red  foxes.  The  white  stone  foxes  are  the  most  valu- 
able of  the  varieties  of  that  species  at  present.  The 
most  common  variety  is  the  blue  fox.  It  is  of  a 
slate  color  with  a  purplish  tinge,  and  very  abundant 
on  the  Prisbyloff  and  Aleutian  Islands.  The  gray 
stone  foxes  are  the  white  ones  in  their  summer 
dress,  and  the  skins  are  nearly  worthless.  Black 
and  silver  foxes  are  abundant  in  many  parts  of  the 
Territory. 

Otter  and  lynxes  are  very  common  on  the  Yukon. 
The  wolverine  is  rare,  and  its  skin^  as  well  as  those 
of  the  wolf,  bring  high  prices  from  the  natives,  who 
use  them  for  trimming  their  dresses.  A  first-rate 
wolverine  skin  will  bring  twenty  marten  or  forty 
mink  skins. 

The  skin  of  the  black  bear  is  valuable  in  Kussia, 
although  not  much  esteemed  with  us. 

The  sea-lion  and  the  walrus  have  long  furnished 
hides,  oil,  and  ivory  to  the  inhabitants  of  Alaska. 
The  quantity  of  walrus-tusks  annually  obtained  wiU 
average  one  hundred  thousand  pounds.  These  ani- 
mals are  most  abundant  near  Port  Moller  in  Bristol 
Bay,  and  on  the  more  northern  coast  and  islands. 

The  sea-lions  are  abundant  on  most  of  the  rocky 
islands.  They  appear  in  May,  and  remain  until 
late  in  the  fall.  The  males  often  weigh  two  or 
three  tons.  Their  hide  and  oil  are  used  for  the 
same  purpose  as  those  of  the  walrus,  though  inferior 
in  quality.  The  whiskers  of  the  sea-Hon  are  as 
large  as  a  quiU,  and  sometimes  fifteen  inches  long. 


526  LIFE   IN   THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEIOA, 

They  are  exported  to  China,  the  Chinese  paying  a. 
high  price  for  them.  The  gall  is  also  disposed  of  in 
China,  being  used  in  the  manufacture  of  silk. 

The  immense  value  and  extent  of  the  Alaskan- 
fisheries  will,  doubtless,  at  an  early  day  be  made 
still  greater.     Fish  have  always  formed  the  chief 
part  of  the  food  of  the  native  population. 

Many  casks  of  duck  and  geese  were  annually 
salted  down  by  the  Eussians.  They  form  a  very 
agreeable  addition  to  the  winter's  fare.  The  quan^ 
tity  of  game  of  this  kind  in  Northern  Alaska  is  so 
great,  that  the  time  may  come  when  eggs,  salted 
birds,  eider  and  swan's  down,  may  occupy  some 
space  in  the  commerce  of  Alaska." 


What  a  world  of  wonders  is  there,  in  the  vast- 
region  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific,  and 
our  country's  northern  and  southern  bounds !  The 
"  wonders  of  the  west "  are  found  everywhere 
throughout  this  magnificent  domain;  not  only  in 
the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  Nature,  but  in  the 
marvelous  achievements  of  man :  of  grand  old  moun- 
tains that  rear  aloft  their  snow-crowned  crests,  even 
to  the  sky,  and  in  kingly  majesty  look  down  upon 
the  lightning  and  the  storm-cloud,  far  below, — 
hstening  to  the  wild  music  of  rolhng  thunders,  re- 
verberating from  clifi  and  crag  and  distant  peak, 
standing  in  stately  grandeur,  sole  monarch  of  the 
realm; — to  the  roar  of  water-falls,  that  pour  their 
vast  volumes  of  liquid  light  and  rainbow  tints  and 
pearls,  down  from  dizzy  heights,  to  yawning  chasms 
and  precipitous  canons,  of  depth  so  profound  they 
seem  to  cut  the  very  earth  asunder;  prairies  of 


AND  WONDEES  OF  THE  WEST.  527 

illimitable  expanse,  that  glitter  with  the  wealth  of 
beauteous  flowers;  meadows  clothed  with  luxuriant 
verdure,  over  which  range  countless  herds,  both 
subject,  and  free  from  the  control  of  man;  silver 
lakelets  with  shores  of  glittering  sand,  in  placid 
beauty  reflecting  the  sunlight  and  deep  blue  of  the 
dome  of  Nature's  temple ;  gigantic  forest  trees  moss- 
grown  and  tendril- twined,  that  have  noted  the  march 
of  centuries,  whose  arms  are  opened  wide  to  wel- 
come the  pioneer  of  progress ;  beautiful  rivers,  with 
banks  fringed  with  trees  and  flowers, — all  these  and 
more  are  here.  Nature's  curiosity-shop,  her  labora- 
tory and  her  most  wondrous  works,  are  open  to  the 
inspection  of  those  who  choose  to  make  it. 

Here,  seemingly  by  magic,  spring  delightful  vil- 
lages, which  quickly  grow  to  populous  cities;  here, 
railroads  cross  mountains  and  meadows,  extend 
through  canons  and  across  broad  rivers;  and  over 
these  the  iron  steed  is  dashing  onward,  starthng  the 
fleet  antelope,  and  waking  echoes  in  regions,  which, 
till  now,  resounded  only  with  the  war-whoop  of 
the  savage,  and  the  howling  of  wild  beasts;  from 
mines,  deep  in  the  earth's  bosom,  glittering  trea- 
sure, by  millions,  is  brought  to  the  light  of  day; 
golden  wheat  fields  of  boundless  area;  churches, 
colleges  and  schools, — all  these  are  here,  and 
thousands  of  enterprises,  achieved  or  in  progress, 
for  the  general  good. 

So  rapid  the  advance  of  civilization,  that  he  who 
would  seek  the  "wilds  of  America,"  will  only  find 
them  in  Alaska.  Immigrants,  by  hundreds  of  thous- 
ands, every  year,  are  hastening  to  the  West  to  share 
the  benefits  awaiting  them.     In  the  East,  and  over 


-528  LIFE   IN    THE   WILDS    OF   AMEEICA, 

the  sea,  'millions  of  hands  want  acres, '^here,  'mil- 
hons  of  acres  want  hands.' 

More  than  haK  our  Territories  have  now  the  re- 
quisite population  for  admission  to  the  Union,  and 
within  five  years  ensuing,  all  of  them,  doubtless, 
will  have;  and  new  stars  of  great  magnitude  will 
glitter  in  our  country's  constellation; — a  country 
upon  which  the  sun  never  sets. 

Our  Territory  extends  through  197  degrees — 
more  than  half-way  round  the  globe.  When  the 
sun  is  bidding  our  western  Aleutian  isle  'good-night,' 
he  is  shedding  his  rosy  beams  upon  the  fields  and 
forests  of  Maine. 

In  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  this  country,  is 
illustrated  the  truth  of  Bishop  Simpson's  words: — 
"Virtue  unites,  vice  scatters,  paganism  disperses, 
but  Christianity  builds  up." 

What  a  glorious  land  is  ours  1  Under  a  wise  gov- 
ermental  policy,  America  will  continue  to  prosper 
and  brighten  with  the  suns  of  centuries,  till  its 
splendor  shall  illuminate  the  world. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


MAR  ^2  1969 


J  AIM  '^G  19^7 


^^^^ 


RECCIRAPRg4  1985 


Z^ 


tNTEnUDflARVLOAN 


RbC'D  LD 


Tftt 


JUL  9    BD9 


UNIV.  OFCALIF.,  BERK. 


,A«« 


?^^* 


HtC'D  UD 


BA-^^ 


H{*30' 


MAR  11  1969  69 


LD  21-100m-6,'56 
(B9311sl0)476 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


YC  28339 


